Portraits of Deep Time by Tara Kraft with Kirkland Public Library

Rocks ooze time and change. When I look at rocks, I imagine the eons of geologic movement that created them. It is a huge expanse of time that dwarfs our tiny existence. To lovingly study rocks connects me to the natural world in its immensity, but also in its particulars. It brings life into perspective. It places humanity into a larger, epochal scale of time, one we must consider more as we face the consequences of our impact on the planet.

I meet rocks while hiking, and there are few hikes as iconic and well-known as the Snow Lake Trail. It is not unusual to pass a hundred hikers on a weekend trip. The dramatic views of Snoqualmie Pass and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness are stunning, but I’ve chosen not to paint a grand view of the landscape. Though I love the landscape, I am uncomfortable with the associations that view has with conquest and consumption, from so-called manifest destiny to glossy social media. Instead I focus on small pieces of the trail, small pieces that contain whole worlds, to encourage consideration and contemplation.

I think of my painting process as geology in fast-forward. I build up layers, scraping texture back, allowing my materials to express their unique physical properties. I enjoy the endlessly alluring play of paint that creates unexpected and powerful moments.