In Beyond Roots, Clare Scott explores the quiet strength and complexity of plants and seeds through pastel painting. Using her own macro photographs as reference, she focused on the delicate structures and hidden energy within seeds, pods, and abstracted forms. Using pastel as her primary medium she responds intuitively to texture, color, and light—transforming these tiny, often overlooked subjects into larger reflections on growth, resilience, and transformation.

Phyllis Rider’s work in Beyond Roots is inspired by a majestic old cottonwood tree that stood along the High Line Canal behind her house long before she made her home here. The tree and its gentle hollow in its side lent it a unique personality. Watching this tree for over four decades has led her to do drawings, paintings and photographs. The recent removal of this tree was devastating to her as well as her community. This loss inspired her to do the latest body of work which includes monotype prints from the tree trunk remains, paintings and a variety of other pieces that explore the tree’s form, its essence, and circular motifs that echo its enduring presence. Through this work, she reflects on memory, change, and the quiet impact of nature on our lives.

Banner Image: Clare Scott, “Sidewalk Dandelions.” Pastel; 20 x 12.