On Tuesday Dec. 27 at 3pm photographer Yvette Lucas will talk about her process and demonstrate various techniques she uses to explore nature inspired by the Berkshires.
Nature, in its many forms, dominates the images that fascinate me. I feel life most intensely in a natural environment, in its elemental state: water, rock, tree, soil and sky come together again and again in infinite designs and patterns that breathe, grow and change. A living artwork, the land speaks to me most through its details, short stories and vignettes, rather than broad expanses of landscape. I take what calls to me, tells me about its life, and points to God.
Floating just above the water, surrounded and vulnerable, I am immersed in the peace of Lake Garfield. These images are small isolated glimpses of spaces found while paddling over a modest lake in Western Massachusetts. Taken through the plastic lens of a Holga Camera, these views become slightly distorted and blurred, yet translate to film the visceral feel of the water and the experience of solitude felt while travelling in a kayak through grasses and algae along the water’s edge.
These places can only be visited away from the safety of the land, though close enough to sense the relationship of the current and the shore and the life that thrives in between. I see these views as different rooms of the same house, shown in intimate portraits that reveal parts of a whole that help piece its story together, but not all of it. The lake will retain its mystery, not becoming a scenic view.
TREE PORTRAITS
This series of tree photographs began in Western Massachusetts in the Southern Berkshire region, a place of retreat and renewal for my family. It is a collection of images that has grown to include the parks, woods, and gardens of other parts of the country especially New Jersey where I live. During walks, hikes and explorations, I found that particular trees stood out to make their presence known. They interact with the observer in their surroundings not just in their grandness, but with the stories they tell, sparking our imaginations to see and feel their individuality if we give them the time.
As trees grow they are affected by the many elements they come in contact with. Just like us, their environment helps or hinders the growth and final form they take. The subsequent scars, diseases, and catastrophes that can befall each of them create a being that is different from any other tree. To the human viewer these blemishes could be considered beautiful and add to the character and “personality” of a tree as they do people. My photographs focus on the trees that tell stories, awe, or communicate with their environment in a visual and emotional way. Acknowledging the symbiotic relationship we have with them is to remember that we are part of the earth and its complicated system.”
For more information: yvettelucas.com
The unique link for Tuesday Dec. 27 at 3-4 pm is
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83652298285?pwd=Tjk3TG4wSjdkYitsQ296ajFPcDFGUT09
The Meeting ID is: 836 5229 8285 and the Passcode is: 786544
