My images of scarred trees were photographed over a period of several years, at various locations around New England. Also represented in this body of work are antique carvings on a rock in Dighton, MA.

I was drawn to these words and letters in the woods because of their simultaneous intimacy and remoteness, the fact that the sentiments they convey are symbols of relationships long expired and our universal need to “make our mark”. The process I have used to photograph and print the images further removes them from their original context and meaning, leaving only an aesthetic lexicon.

These photo works are produced by coating liquid photographic emulsion on 140 lb. watercolor paper. The surface of the paper is then exposed and painted with developer. After processing, the images are embellished with a variety of media, including graphite, photo toner, charcoal, tea and rust.

Elizabeth Bristow, Dec. 2003

(below) "Improvised While Hypnotized", assemblage in eight parts, photo emulsion on paper, tea, graphite, © Elizabeth Bristow, 2003

(below, right) "Marge", photo emulsion on paper, graphite, © Elizabeth Bristow, 2002