Relic Series

The Relic Series displays blossoms from my garden as fragments from the past. For years, as I worked in the garden, I admired the beauty of these flowers as I threw them away. Past their bloom, their colors changed but remained intense, and the surfaces became darkly lustrous.

Hearing a news story about a relic of Buddha being moved for viewing lead me to remember relics of saints I had seen in a Catholic church as a child: all remnants of extraordinary beings preserved so we can somehow be in their presence. My flowers, remnants of nature, may be more common but they are valuable in the same way. With this intention, I collected the blossoms and placed them on my scanner. The nearly human scale of the resulting prints draws attention to the physicality of the remains. As the prints became objects, almost with weight, the flowers themselves were losing their substance. Their beauty lives on in images of their ruins.

•••

The first 12 images were made in 2004 and I add to the series occasionally as new subjects present themselves. Edition: 20 + 2 AP. Print sizes vary: 20 x 24 inches to 24 x 45 inches. Printed on 100% cotton paper.

A print-on-demand book is available at MagCloud.com at: www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/371349