Close your eyes and imagine standing in a forest at midnight. The air is cold, the darkness absolute. Suddenly, a beam of light pierces the blackness, slowly caressing the deep, twisted grooves of a trunk that has stood for thousands of years. Today at the Don Dexter Gallery, the photography of Portland artist Adam Gerlach brings that exact midnight magic into the light.
Gerlach’s series, “Traces of Light,” features dramatic, large-format images of ancient Bristlecone Pines and Australian Tea trees. These are not ordinary landscape photographs. Made entirely at night, Gerlach uses a meticulous "light painting" technique. During long exposures, he moves through the dark with a flashlight, selectively illuminating the gnarled bark and undulating muscles of the wood, while leaving the rest of the world swallowed in shadow.
In one piece, a lone, magnificent tree bends low across the frame, its dense canopy glowing like bronze filigree against an impenetrable void. In another, the lens moves dangerously close, revealing a trunk contorted into a violent, elegant spiral—a knot of pure resilience. Gerlach chooses a wide lens over a long telephoto, forcing himself to stand physically close to these ancient beings, honoring every knot and imperfection.
Back in the studio, he applies a laborious digital toning process to achieve a perfect, velvet-rich sepia print. The result is a profound celebration of survival, capturing the silent, enduring spirit of the oldest trees on Earth.
The exhibition is currently on view at the Don Dexter Gallery.
