Texture

Once again, when I move in close, the subtlety of the textures in the bark of this Chinese hazelnut just overwhelm. Were it not for its appearance as a landscape that is uninviting for farming, I’d say these were terraces for growing, perhaps rice, in uneven terrain.  But the colors are all wrong for growing things. This landscape is alien, if landscape it is.

Truth is, I’m a devotee of texture so after my initial game of “what does it look like,” it wasn’t hard for me to give up trying and just enjoy this surface.

It does seem to me that trying to tie these images to something familiar, while understandable, ultimately diminishes the image – it is its own thing and should be viewed and appreciated without the need to tie it to something else, familiar or fantastical.

Still, it can be fun to play the game, and if you enjoy it, have at it!