Beginning in about 2018, I began spending more time wandering about Clark Reservation State Park with an 8×10 camera and Ilford HP5 and FP4 negatives. Located at the southeastern edge of Syracuse, NY near the Village of Jamesville, it is the site of a glacial waterfall, some 15,000 years ago, with a tall, horseshoe-shaped cliff and a pond at the base, the former plunge pool. Though a relatively small park, it is a remarkable landscape, one in which the limestone bedrock remains exposed in many areas while mostly coniferous trees have established themselves. I have been particularly drawn to the Eastern white cedar trees, which extend their roots over and through the exposed bedrock ledges and along the slope rising from the pond in the most fascinating ways. As my wife and I hiked there in the summer of 2020, I began to envision a project that showcased this accommodation, as the cedar trees find a way to thrive in this challenging setting. The way that these exposed roots wrap around and through the surrounding rocks, with striated bark that accentuates the curves, creates pockets of beauty throughout the forest.
This is an ongoing project, as the varieties of the interactions between cedar and stone at Clark Reservation State Park are endless. Please, do check back in for updates!
