Svjetlana TepavcevicKOELREUTERIA ELEGANS Chinese rain tree

While taking a hike one day, it was Sarajevo born, Washington DC-based photographer Svjetlana Tepavcevic’s childlike curiosity that provoked her to bend down and pick up her first seedpod, Marah Macrocarpus (Wild Cucumber). The oddity of it interested her enough to scan it, and little did she know that this would lead her to becoming somewhat of an expert on the life cycle of seedpods. Using the scanner as a tool of image making in her series Means of Reproduction, she has been able to discover the intricacies of how various seedpods harbor, protect, and eventually release their plant’s offspring.

Fascinated with the details of nature, Tepavcevic’s art is an interpretation of her allure, so once she understood the nature of seedpods and the beauty of the detail within them, the purpose of her hikes became more than exercise and a breath of fresh air. She often travels to Los Angeles and has discovered that due to globalization and international exchange, the streets of LA are fertile with non-native seedpods—and while likely harmful to California’s indigenous species, they offer a plethora of exotic specimens for Tepavcevic’s collection.

Svjetlana TepavcevicMYRISTICA FRAGRANS Nutmeg with mace

Svjetlana TepavcevicAILANTHUS ALTISSIMA Tree of heaven

Svjetlana TepavcevicPERSEA AMERICANA Mexican avocado

Svjetlana TepavcevicMAGNOLIA GRANDIFLORA Magnolia tree

Svjetlana TepavcevicSEQUOIADENDRON GIGANTEUM Giant sequoia tree Part 1 of diptych

Svjetlana TepavcevicSEQUOIADENDRON GIGANTEUM Giant sequoia tree Part 2 of diptych

Svjetlana TepavcevicROSA CALIFORNICA Wild rose

Svjetlana TepavcevicPLATANUS OCCIDENTALIS American sycamore

Svjetlana Tepavcevic MARAH MACROCARPUS Wild cucumber

Svjetlana TepavcevicLEUCADENDRON GALPINII Silver balls

This post was contributed by photographer Tom M. Johnson.


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