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 the 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.