Trees are kind of my thing...

From a young age, I've loved them.  If forced to choose, maples in particular conjure images of childhood, and color.  My memory floods with leaf piles of red, yellow and orange.  I bet you're remembering the smell of autumn right now, just thinking about them.  They have given us heights to reach, covered our hands in sap, roughed our knees, provided nests to nut chucking squirrels, and offered refuge from a herd of cows on our grandparents farm.  Trees are nostalgia and a piece of my heart.

More than that, trees represent a myriad of metaphors as well.  From their roots, to their pliability in the face of mother nature's challenges, they represent strength, adaptability, sustenance, color, air and life.  Each is unique and grows in unexpected ways.  Let me discover a new tree pushed to its limit and I have to stop and marvel at it.  Then give a few minutes more to wonder at all it has witnessed simply by standing still.  

With these ideas a series was born.  While each tree could be a portrait unto itself, we all know a woman with the many characteristics of these life givers.  Convincing these women to show their inner colors and pairing them with my favorite, most expressive trees has been fun.  Add to that the Arizona desert shaping both trees and women, how can you go wrong? 

With that, allow me to introduce the "Dryad Portrait Series".

Please enjoy a few of the results from some wonderful days exploring, and watch for more to come.  There are plenty of trees tucked in hidden corners waiting for the right person.