FLEETING STRUCTURES

My photographic exploration of lichen began with a fascination for the abstract compositions I discovered on rocks and tree bark. I was captivated by their vivid colors, intricate cellular structures, jigsaw-like divisions, and remarkable symmetry. These living mosaics appeared to me as nature’s own abstract paintings.

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Over several decades, I have photographed lichens on every continent, building an archive spanning the globe. Because identifying individual species can be difficult, I organize the work primarily by color, geography, texture, and visual character rather than taxonomy. What began as an aesthetic pursuit has evolved into a deeper appreciation for one of Earth’s most resilient life forms.

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Lichens thrive in deserts, alpine environments, polar regions, and on bare rock where few other organisms can survive. They can withstand prolonged dehydration, becoming dormant until moisture returns. They are also complex ecosystems, involving fungi, algae, yeasts, bacteria, and other microorganisms whose relationships continue to challenge scientific understanding.

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Many of my photographs are made immediately after rainfall, when moisture transforms the appearance of lichen. Saturated colonies reveal brilliant greens, while other pigments produce reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. I intentionally intensify color and contrast to emphasize their abstract qualities—not to fabricate nature, but to reveal its visual richness.

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Lichens also help create soil by chemically weathering bare rock, contributing to the development of terrestrial ecosystems. Their resilience is extraordinary: experiments have shown that certain lichens can survive the vacuum and extreme conditions of outer space.

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This body of work celebrates lichen as both visual abstraction and biological wonder. Through photography, I invite viewers to look closely at organisms that are easily overlooked and to discover beauty, complexity, endurance, and interconnectedness in the smallest details of the natural world.