Mark Hobson (Prints)

The rain forests of the outer British Columbia coast are a wonderful tangle of abstract shapes created by moss-covered cedars, rotting logs and exuberant growth. The challenge is how to compose a piece that celebrates the feeling of this moody world within the confines of a rectangular canvas. I finally settled on a diagonal decaying log with a hint of warm light seeping through the background canopy. Set in early March, the foreground centrepiece is the fresh blooms of Skunk Cabbage (recently renamed Swamp Lanterns). These brilliant flowers with their large leaves look more likely at home in the tropics, but are always the first burst of spring growth in the dark and moist forests of the Pacific Coast. The red-legged frog has recently finished laying eggs and is now returning to the forest for the summer months.