The Leaf Portrait paintings correspond to the unique signature of monoterpene gases that Ponderosa pine needles emitted during photosynthesis, as studied in 2020-21 by Dr. Mj Riches. I have chosen to create these works in a tall format to evoke the verticality of the pine forest, and how this thin height is replicated among the leaves. Bright undersides of each painting are in response to what another researcher said about some of the data gathered at the site: “The surprise is the understory,” which also relates to the New Particle Formations series of dyed paper.

Each of the Leaf Portrait paintings began by replicating a column from the chart of leaf data that Dr. Riches generated (right), which shows emissions of four types of monoterpene gases. Through the process of layering thin layers of paint with brushes, my own reverence of the forest itself shows through the blurring of this factual info. Like a fractal whose pattern replicates at various scales, these representations not only show the atmospheric fingerprint of tiny leaves but also capture the vast wonder and variability within the forest ecosystem as a whole – as a broader impression of landscape.