traces within, 2026

Archival Pigment Print, various sizes

"Traces Within" honors the iconic Sea Ranch cypress trees lost to the waterborne pathogen Phytophthora. Through layered mapping, I combine imagery of forest floor, stump cross-sections, microscopic pathogen structures, and hydrological patterns into ecological portraits and speculative maps. These works visualize hidden landscape relationships—merging tree rings with contour lines, and using color variations to reference the climate change driving the pathogen’s spread. Rather than focusing solely on disease, the project views the forest as a living system shaped by transmission, decay, adaptation, and resilience.

Thanks to Chris Lee Forest Pathologist and Christopher Tominello-Ramirez, from Cal Poly Humboldt for providing the microscopic images.