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a proposal to publish A unique view of New Zealand native trees
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proposal To publish a unique view of New Zealand native trees by Rachel Mooney.
Hi, Im Rachel, an Auckland based art photographer practising my craft for over 20 years now. I am looking for a publishing partner to help me produce a book that has been very special to me for a long time.
"In some mysterious way, woods have never seemed to me to be static things. In physical terms, I move through them, yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me..."
That quote by John Fowles really conveys my vision for this book, and that is the sensuality I see and an artistic perspective of a selection of images that reveal my passion for New Zealand’s unique and inspiring lush native bush and its beauty and form. Since I can remember, I have been fascinated and drawn to the night sky and the mysteries and secrets it holds, so it’s no surprise that I adore photographing at night the wonder and elegance of trees illuminated by moonlight and the starry arcs of grandeur.
I have the support of many great New Zealanders who, along with me, have a unique passion for New Zealand and it's spiritual connection to nature and it's native roots - including the foreward written by, and a feature contribution from, Sir Bob Harvey, former Waitakere City mayor. Several more high profile and celebrity Kiwis are currently being approached.
"In some mysterious way, woods have never seemed to me to be static things. In physical terms, I move through them, yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me..."
That quote by John Fowles really conveys my vision for this book, and that is the sensuality I see and an artistic perspective of a selection of images that reveal my passion for New Zealand’s unique and inspiring lush native bush and its beauty and form. Since I can remember, I have been fascinated and drawn to the night sky and the mysteries and secrets it holds, so it’s no surprise that I adore photographing at night the wonder and elegance of trees illuminated by moonlight and the starry arcs of grandeur.
I have the support of many great New Zealanders who, along with me, have a unique passion for New Zealand and it's spiritual connection to nature and it's native roots - including the foreward written by, and a feature contribution from, Sir Bob Harvey, former Waitakere City mayor. Several more high profile and celebrity Kiwis are currently being approached.
a selection of images
concepts for the book design
The proposed look and feel of the finished publication.
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Proposed text content, introduction and foreward text, with more coming...
introduction by rachel mooney
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There are many tree quotes that I love, and this John Fowles one, really does it for me!
“In some mysterious way, woods have never seemed to me to be static things.
In physical terms, I move through them, yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me...”
What I want to convey most with my images in this publication, is the sensuality I see in them and an artistic perspective of a selection of images that reveal my passion for New Zealand’s unique and inspiring lush native bush and it’s beauty and form. With a quarter of the images taken at night when all available daylight is gone, an image is taken over a period of time and records the motion of stars, clouds and any moving light, and in a mysterious way picks up colour over that period of time that is in the sky, even though you cannot see it presently while the photograph is being taken in darkness. Since I can remember, I have been fascinated and drawn to the night sky and the mysteries and secrets it holds, so it’s no surprise that I adore photographing at night the wonder and elegance of trees illuminated by moonlight and the starry arcs of grandeur.
After thinking of how I could best combine my love of night photography, whilst still making the images commercially viable, I came up with the idea of creating a calendar and card range, combining my love for New Zealand native trees with daylight images, to give a unique mix of both, and my Art of NZ Trees was born, the calendar range has been published since 2009, and this book is a collection of some of my favourite images so far.
After much thought on what would be great to accompany some of the images or chapters, the idea arose to ask a variety of people to share their stories/poetry and love of our precious native trees. So I am honoured to have these magnificent New Zealanders on board sharing what’s special to them.
I have spent the last 5 years photographing these gorgeous creations, when I could, and whilst there are many more places I would love to explore, this publication is more about the composition and energy of the image, whether it was taken down the road or in another part of New Zealand. I first really fell in love with these beauties on return from having lived in Sydney for a couple of years. I was on my way out to Laingholm to look at a piece of land (in the days when you could buy a quarter acre for $30K!!) And when I drove down Huia Rd and up Laingholm Dr, coming down the other side I was in awe of the wild splendour and lush nature of this bushy landscape. The clusters of kanuka and manuka sat like soft clouds of green against the sky, with their sculptured trunks swaying and dancing in the wind, and the groves of tree ferns and symmetry of nikau palms perfectly dotted in between, not one native species seemed to out do the other, but rather, to work in perfect synchronisation together, flawlessly sharing their individual character, charm and grace, and I thought I’m in love with this abundant landscape!
And for the first time in a very long time, I felt completely at home. And that really was the beginning of this photographic journey.
“In some mysterious way, woods have never seemed to me to be static things.
In physical terms, I move through them, yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me...”
What I want to convey most with my images in this publication, is the sensuality I see in them and an artistic perspective of a selection of images that reveal my passion for New Zealand’s unique and inspiring lush native bush and it’s beauty and form. With a quarter of the images taken at night when all available daylight is gone, an image is taken over a period of time and records the motion of stars, clouds and any moving light, and in a mysterious way picks up colour over that period of time that is in the sky, even though you cannot see it presently while the photograph is being taken in darkness. Since I can remember, I have been fascinated and drawn to the night sky and the mysteries and secrets it holds, so it’s no surprise that I adore photographing at night the wonder and elegance of trees illuminated by moonlight and the starry arcs of grandeur.
After thinking of how I could best combine my love of night photography, whilst still making the images commercially viable, I came up with the idea of creating a calendar and card range, combining my love for New Zealand native trees with daylight images, to give a unique mix of both, and my Art of NZ Trees was born, the calendar range has been published since 2009, and this book is a collection of some of my favourite images so far.
After much thought on what would be great to accompany some of the images or chapters, the idea arose to ask a variety of people to share their stories/poetry and love of our precious native trees. So I am honoured to have these magnificent New Zealanders on board sharing what’s special to them.
I have spent the last 5 years photographing these gorgeous creations, when I could, and whilst there are many more places I would love to explore, this publication is more about the composition and energy of the image, whether it was taken down the road or in another part of New Zealand. I first really fell in love with these beauties on return from having lived in Sydney for a couple of years. I was on my way out to Laingholm to look at a piece of land (in the days when you could buy a quarter acre for $30K!!) And when I drove down Huia Rd and up Laingholm Dr, coming down the other side I was in awe of the wild splendour and lush nature of this bushy landscape. The clusters of kanuka and manuka sat like soft clouds of green against the sky, with their sculptured trunks swaying and dancing in the wind, and the groves of tree ferns and symmetry of nikau palms perfectly dotted in between, not one native species seemed to out do the other, but rather, to work in perfect synchronisation together, flawlessly sharing their individual character, charm and grace, and I thought I’m in love with this abundant landscape!
And for the first time in a very long time, I felt completely at home. And that really was the beginning of this photographic journey.
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the magical mystery of trees – FOreward by sir bob harvey
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This is a country that was once clothed in a great forest of glorious trees. Trees so huge that they appeared to hold up the sky and when the ancient Maori arrived on these distance cloud covered islands they must have stepped on to the land in awe of the richness of the vegetation and the size and variety of the forest. So different from their own homeland wherever that mystical place was. Here was a much more denser, greener, damper world.
They had this green paradise all their own for 700 years or so. They worshipped, acknowledged and respected the forest. When trees were cut, they did it with ritual and a sense of tapu and they regarded great trees as sacred and profound living Gods. They burnt large sections on hilltops and replaced the forest with fortified settlements but always they acknowledge pathways and passages through the green empire that they, and they alone, understood. With the arrival the new settlers the landscape was not an influence and a place of beauty and wonderment, it was known as “the bloody bush”. It needed to be cut, sawn and burnt.
Farming and fencing was the all and now you can drive the length of the North Island without being aware of our green past. The coasts are barren, the hills green with grass and always the fenceline slowly inching upwards to the high peaks.
We have lost a sense of being in the forest, of peace, tranquillity and understanding of special places where nature and Gods once were present. The towering trees are few and even the giant kauris are now threatened by the dreaded die back.
Rachel Mooney is one of my favourite photographers and she links in this book, the beauty of trees and takes us in to her world of bark, of shape and of natures design. Here in her photographs we realise that the closer we come to trees, the more they are able to reveal their inner spirit and their clothing of the richness of bark and scale has colour, texture that even the finest costume designer could not envisage. Rachel has made a great success of her night photography and this book ventures into that realm, the time when darkness clothes the land and the landscape rests.
Overhead her camera records the passing of the stars and planets and the trees bear silent witness. Over coffee Rachel and I have talked about New Zealanders love for their own special trees, the one they have climbed as children, the lone tree that stood on a hillside or roadside. A giant pohutakawa stretching upward and outward drenched in colour announcing Christmas.
Here in this book New Zealanders acknowledge their love for the magical mystery of trees and the way they match up as we move through life and time.
Sir Bob Harvey
KAREKARE
They had this green paradise all their own for 700 years or so. They worshipped, acknowledged and respected the forest. When trees were cut, they did it with ritual and a sense of tapu and they regarded great trees as sacred and profound living Gods. They burnt large sections on hilltops and replaced the forest with fortified settlements but always they acknowledge pathways and passages through the green empire that they, and they alone, understood. With the arrival the new settlers the landscape was not an influence and a place of beauty and wonderment, it was known as “the bloody bush”. It needed to be cut, sawn and burnt.
Farming and fencing was the all and now you can drive the length of the North Island without being aware of our green past. The coasts are barren, the hills green with grass and always the fenceline slowly inching upwards to the high peaks.
We have lost a sense of being in the forest, of peace, tranquillity and understanding of special places where nature and Gods once were present. The towering trees are few and even the giant kauris are now threatened by the dreaded die back.
Rachel Mooney is one of my favourite photographers and she links in this book, the beauty of trees and takes us in to her world of bark, of shape and of natures design. Here in her photographs we realise that the closer we come to trees, the more they are able to reveal their inner spirit and their clothing of the richness of bark and scale has colour, texture that even the finest costume designer could not envisage. Rachel has made a great success of her night photography and this book ventures into that realm, the time when darkness clothes the land and the landscape rests.
Overhead her camera records the passing of the stars and planets and the trees bear silent witness. Over coffee Rachel and I have talked about New Zealanders love for their own special trees, the one they have climbed as children, the lone tree that stood on a hillside or roadside. A giant pohutakawa stretching upward and outward drenched in colour announcing Christmas.
Here in this book New Zealanders acknowledge their love for the magical mystery of trees and the way they match up as we move through life and time.
Sir Bob Harvey
KAREKARE
supplemental text
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"It is difficult to realise how great a part of all that is cheerful and delightful in the recollections of our own life is associated with trees" Wilson Flagg
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"I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast" Joyce Kilmer
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast" Joyce Kilmer
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"Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." Author unknown
join me in my journey
I would love for you to join me in this project – I believe it is a truly unique view on a significant part of our place on this land and what it means to be Kiwis. If you'd like to know more about me, or need anything further, please call me on 021 954 001, have a look at my website, link to my facebook page below or email me.
Thanks
Thanks
