Trees, Personified

As an artist, William Wylie is not interested in things he understands, but rather the things he doesn’t. His work focuses on uncovering what makes a certain subject or place compelling – and his latest project is no different.

“I am drawn to things I do not fully grasp and my inclination as an artist is to see deeper,” he said.

Wylie, an art professor and director of the University of Virginia’s Studio Art Department, feels that his consistent, creative practice in photography makes him a better professor.

“I couldn’t be a teacher if I didn’t feel I was keeping my research and practice vital by making my own work,” he said.

Wylie’s latest body of work focuses on trees and the human-like personalities they portray in the way they age, weather and stand. All of the trees depicted in “The Anatomy of Trees,” an exhibition on view in Richmond’s Page Bond Gallery from Friday through Feb. 27, live in Colorado’s Pawnee National Grasslands or on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Each stands alone in Wylie’s photos.

“I wanted to isolate the stance and gesture of the tree and let those things speak to a sort of character,” Wylie said. “All of the trees have grown and survived under extreme conditions and I liked the way they display their age and struggles.”

Below, Wylie shares his perspective on a few of the photographs featured in his upcoming exhibit.