"Embrace" - matted print 11"x14"

Matted 11"x14" print

New patterns emerge when artist Doug McLarty scans his collections of found natural objects. The former landscape photographer now creates images using a high-resolution flatbed digital scanner instead of using a camera, in a technique known as “scanography.” The result is a breathtakingly beautiful, more intimate view of nature.

McLarty finds joy in the patterns, colors and textures that he finds. Sometimes he will study a leaf or a rock that he has collected for hours until it reveals its secrets.

McLarty credits British sculptor, environmentalist, and photographer Andy Goldsworthy, glass artist Dale Chihuly, and architect Frank Gehry for inspiring his botanical scans. Artist Portia Munson has worked similarly with pattern-rich botanical scans to create her magnificent flower mandalas.

McLarty’s work begins when he gathers plants, flowers, shells, rocks, and other  natural materials near his home and in his travels.