Medium: Fine Art Texture Paper

Size 30x24"

Limited edition 3 of 20 

This photograph took four attempts to create.

I returned to this tree several times, knowing there was something special about it but never quite managing to capture what I was seeing and feeling. Sometimes the light wasn’t right. Other times, my skills simply weren’t where they needed to be yet. On my fourth visit, everything finally came together.

My repeated trips to Vancouver Island also changed the way I looked at nature. I started paying more attention to the smaller details, shapes, textures and patterns around me. Instead of always searching for grand landscapes, I began looking for quieter and more abstract scenes and the stories they could tell.

But this photograph became much more than that.

In 2021, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. When I finally captured this image, I immediately felt a connection between this tree and her.

The tree was growing in difficult conditions, yet somehow it still stood out with so much beauty and grace. It reminded me of my mom. Even as the sickness was taking more and more of her energy, she continued to shine. She remained beautiful, strong and full of light despite everything she was going through.

That is what this photograph came to represent for me.

Not strength in the sense of pretending that everything is okay, but the ability to hold onto your light and beauty even when life becomes incredibly difficult.

Every time I look at this tree, I think of her.

This image is dedicated to my beloved mom.