Into the Woods

Memphis artists Dick Knowles and Lawrence Jasud find inspiration in ancient forests.

by Debbie Gilbert

wo University of Memphis professors have recently teamed for an effort they call “The Forest Project,” a study of ancient trees. What’s a bit unusual is that these two instructors work in the department of art, not biology.
Photographer Lawrence Jasud and painter Dick Knowles have spent the past few years exploring and documenting old-growth forests in the southeastern U.S. Some of their paintings, drawings, and photographs will be on display at the Cooper Street Gallery (corner of Cooper and Young) from December 5th through 31st.
The inspiration for the project came in 1994, when Knowles read a newspaper article about rapidly diminishing old-growth forests in the Mississippi Delta region. “I was rather alarmed by this, because I had grown up just taking forests for granted,” he says. “I began to feel we were losing something important. I hate to see trees cut down for any reason, because they’re like our biological heritage.

Dick Knowles, Swamp, 1996, acrylic on canvas, 69” x 64”

When you walk into an ancient forest, there’s a different feel – it feels very old. There’s almost a haunting quality to it. You can feel the souls that dwell there. You feel almost as though you’re an intruder, like you’re invading someone’s private space.”
With Jasud, Knowles obtained a U of M faculty research grant to scout out ancient forest sites. Rather than take physical measurements and samples, as biologists would do, these artists would attempt to capture the spirit of the forest and the emotional impact it has had on people throughout human history.
For economic reasons, the research grant specified that the sites had to be within a day’s drive of Memphis. So far, the artists have identified more than 50 locations, including the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas, the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, the Sipsey Wilderness Area in northern Alabama, the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, and the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in North Carolina.
Jasud hiked through the woods with his cameras, while Knowles painted watercolors based on the photos and also worked on location. In several cases, the artists collaborated directly: Jasud enlarged his photographs onto Luminos photo linen, and Knowles painted over them in oil. Four of these collaborations will appear in the exhibit, as well as four computer-art images in which Knowles electronically enhanced the photos.
Knowles is in what might be called his “tree period” right now. Prior to his current fascination with forests, he was interested in geological formations, particularly as seen from airplanes and satellite photos, and he painted a lot of aerial landscapes.
Now, he’s come back down to earth, grounded by Jasud’s work. “You’ll see we both have a similar vision of wilderness areas,” Knowles says. “Typically, it’s very large trees with canopy overhead and an open sub-canopy forest floor.”
Does Knowles consider himself an environmentalist? “I’m primarily an artist,” he says, “but yes, I am very interested in environmental issues, and I hope this will move people to want to preserve these areas.”
Opening reception for “The Forest Project” is 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, December 5th. For more information, call the Cooper Street Gallery at 272-7053.

In June 1998, new federal controls on air pollution will take effect. But in Tennessee, those tighter restrictions will be applied beginning December 1, 1997.
“We didn’t see any reason to wait,” says Rick Sinclair, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. “We’ll be one of the first states to go to early implementation.”
The resolution to enact Tennessee’s Air Initiative was unanimously passed by the Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board on November 12th – even though some board members are businesspeople who might have to pay higher costs for pollution control.
“What this does is make it very clear to industries what is required,” says Sinclair. “Previously, there was a double set of standards – state and federal. Industries had to spend a lot of money to come into compliance with one standard, only to have to turn around and redo everything in order to comply with an even stricter standard.”
The Air Initiative also requires that new industrial facilities must meet all pollution-control requirements on the very first day of operation, and it establishes emissions standards for the 11 percent of toxic substances that are not yet regulated by the federal government.
The intent is not to punish industries, Sinclair explains, adding that there’s a compliance-assistance program for small businesses such as dry cleaners. “It’s aimed at improving the environment,” he says, “rather than hammering at people.” n

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