Tree rubbings – works on paper
2023
Frottage drawings (moss and bark on paper)
23 x 30,5 cm – 9 × 12 inches

I created this series of drawings in Wildwood Canyon Natural Park, in the Los Angeles area (California). Similar to soil rubbings series, here it is the tree that is used as a basis for the drawing, placing and rubbing the paper on the trunk of an oak (Quercus Ilex). The result is a rich narrative of bark patterns, marks of moss and the textures of the tree’s history.

The resulting drawings are intended to be a visual poetry that respectfully recounts the intrinsic temporal dimension of the tree trunk, the traces of place and time that have sculpted its shape. The drawing takes shape thanks to a silent dialogue between the human gesture and the existence of the tree, to which the control over the shapes and lines of the drawing is entrusted.