Cultivation of Weeds Excerpt

"On a forest trail in midsummer, sunlight streaming down through the trees can sometimes produce a striking mosaic of light and shadow on the pathway. Patterns like this were important to the impressionist masters, and their paintings of them remind us that such blotches of light and shade are as complementary as pollen and bee. In the quiet woods, the effect distills our mood into one of contemplation and encourages us to enjoy the lethargy of summer.

"Carl Grendil often walked along a path like this in parkland not far from where he lived. The images of shade and light had a strangely powerful fascination for him, almost an addiction, and he felt enlivened when the weather and season collaborated to produce unusually pleasing patterns. He often photographed them for later study to try to learn why some shots worked and others didn't. Though the photos became a comforting map for the territory, he knew they were merely abstractions that could always be improved on..."