I make tree portraits. In 1985 I began a series of images of Southern live oaks in my native Louisiana. What began as technical exercise and a focused study of a single subject, has become a life's work: drawing attention to the cultural, historical, and ecological importance of Louisiana’s oldest live oaks and the human stories connected with them. Each time one of these old trees is lost, the human history connected with it is also lost.

Following hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, my work became increasingly focused on documenting Louisiana's oldest and most historically significant live oaks, pairing each portrait with the story of the people and places connected to it.

Through these tree portraits, I hope viewers come to see each tree as an individual—with its own history, character, and connection to place. When an old oak becomes part of our personal or community story, it becomes harder to overlook, and easier to protect.

Today, I support organizations devoted to the study, care, and preservation of trees by donating my time and my artwork. I hope these portraits encourage others to see old oaks not simply as beautiful trees, but as living witnesses to our shared history—and as a legacy worth preserving.