After 34 years you’d think the fascination would have faded. It hasn’t. Every time, there is the same wonder about its life story. I actually do not know for certain how old the cedar is but it has changed very little in the time I have been around. I can’t say the same for me.
Probably started by a bird-carried seed, the decades of long summers, tough winters and ceaseless wind have imbued the lone cedar with a personality far richer than most of its species. Standing solitary near the crest of a prairie hill in a nest of granite boulders it is easily overlooked in the search for bison, elk and longhorn that most people come to the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge to see. It was its character and setting that originally attracted me to stop. In those 34 years I have photographed the lone cedar in all sorts of light and weather. In each image I have attempted to capture the real meaning of the tree and its surroundings. I get close at times but have yet to make an image that for me reflects the fundamental nature of its being – that feels the way the tree makes me feel. And to be honest, I am looking forward to the next 30+ years visiting this old friend in an attempt to create an image that shows its simple beauty and profound nature.
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