AMAZING ASPENS | Alan Sislen | May 23 - July 9, 2023
“La Manga Creek Aspens and Fog” ©Alan Sislen
MULTIPLE EXPOSURES GALLERY presents AMAZING ASPENS, a photography exhibit featuring new works by Alan Sislen. In AMAZING ASPENS, photographer Alan Sislen explores quaking aspens, considered to be among the most amazing trees on earth. “Their beauty and complexity motivated me to capture quaking aspens' important place in the magical world of nature,” Sislen says. The images in the exhibition, presented in color and black and white, invite reflection while serving as a testament to the elegance and strength of these trees that are so often born of fire.
Meet the Artist Dates (11 am-5 pm)
May 27, 28
June 3, 4, 11, 18, 25
July 1, 2, 9
About Amazing Aspens
From their unique root system, which includes deep taproots and shallow lateral roots, often only 12 inches below ground, new identical “clone” shoots can be generated even if the original tree is damaged by fire, insect infestation or destroyed by animals or insects. Fire is a natural contributor to aspens’ life cycle. Fire stimulates the growth of these clone shoots that become most of the aspens we see today. These “new” emerging trees make aspens true adapters and survivors of their environment.
For years, Sislen has been fascinated by the beauty of these unusual trees; the beautiful white trunks and the small leaves that flutter and tremble in the slightest breeze and the often endless aspens that are identical clones of each other. Aspens in a grove or “stand” will have the exact same colors if they are clones from the same root system. When you see different leaf colors, this is a stand of aspens from a different root system. In autumn the colors are spectacular!
In addition to the amazing fall colors, aspens drop some, then most, and finally all of their leaves. As the days get shorter and the temperatures grow colder, aspens' beautiful, delicate, lacy branches become increasingly apparent as their small leaves fall to the ground.