Portfolio Category - Portrait Awards 2014

In Natural History, plant forms reveal, conceal and integrate with portraits to form images of women in the ripeness of their years. We have created these images in our gardens to observe, study and understand the natural order of things. From bud to full flower to seed, the images reflect emergence through a growing season. Flowers which we raise now for ornamental beauty were once essential in culinary, medicinal and magical arts. They were used symbolically in literature, religion, and mythology as connections to the mysteries of birth, death and regeneration. Overlaying the portraits with flowers reconnects and evokes these histories providing a context for considering maturity in a culture preoccupied with the preservation of youth. The women we photographed are friends, family and mentors. Their poses reference Roman portrait busts which honor lineage and express the authority and dignity of their subjects. Experimentation with the cyanotype photographic process brought the portraits and flowers together and reveals rich alignments of nature with history.