The images at community gardens located in the northwest suburbs have been an ongoing project of Paul Clark during the past ten years. In photographing these gardens Paul has found three forces present that define this landscape.

The first is the urban dweller attempting to create a natural yet controlled, ordered and productive environment. The plants, working to remove that order are the second force. They strive continually to overrun the boundaries constructed to contain them.

Last, the effect of time incorporated a dynamic that changes the garden from the lush green setting to one that is withered and lifeless. Paul's work concerns the recording of these interacting forces.

Through Photographing garden abstractions he presents formal relationships between these three elements along with depicting serendipitous balances and imbalances that are created in this small world of land stewardship and sustainability.

Paul resides in the northwest Suburbs of Chicago. He maintains a freelance photographic business, which specializes in the processing of black and white photographic materials. He exhibits regionally and nationally and is the recipient of two Illinois Arts Council Artists Finalist awards. Recent exhibitions include the Museum of contemporary Photography in Chicago, the Rockford Museum ant the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.