Sunlight and Shadow

Deep in a grove of redwoods along Redwood Creek within Muir Woods National monument, the sunlight is often blocked from reaching the vegetation on the ground. But at times, the angle of the sun is just right to illuminate some trees, while leaving the trees around it in darkness. The brightness of the sunlit trees and brush almost take over the darkness of the trees that are in the shadows. In the foreground are ferns and other low brush, covering the fallen branches and redwood twigs that have been blown from the tops of the trees.

This drawing was created with ink pens, recreating the chaos and texture of the forest understory and the overstory among the tops of the trees.