Short Hills Landscaper’s Photos On Display In Millburn

MILLBURN, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of The Bookhouse in Millburn. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here.

Short Hills landscaper Ted Barkhorn photographs what he calls “anomalies in nature.” His images of ancient Redwood roots will be on view at The Bookhouse in Millburn through June 3, 2018.

Barkhorn speaks of these photos as taking him on a spiritual journey which began when he discovered these twisted, inverted roots during a hiking expedition. Struck by their majestic form, he felt compelled to photograph them. Three years later while preparing a portfolio for a critical business venture, he saw the outline of the Virgin Mary in one of his photographs. To him it appeared to replicate in nature the famed Pietà of Michelangelo, conveying the pathos of Jesus released from the cross, held in the arms of his mother.

Barkhorn calls himself “The Pareidolia Photographer,” referring to Pareidolia which is the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful, image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. Examples in nature include images of faces, animals, or objects found in clouds, trees, and rocks. A complete gallery of Barkhorn’s work is available online at www.thepareidoliaphotographer.com.

The images of Redwood roots, Barkhorn believes, “absorb the feeling of the earth.” They express Barkhorn’s passion for the planet and for the Creator. Growing up in Short Hills, New Jersey, the son of a contractor, he gravitated to the landscapers, finding them compassionate and creative, guiding growth with their hands. But it wasn’t until after his successful career as a professional photographer in the pharmaceutical industry that Barkhorn decided to become a landscaper himself revealing his own roots in religion as he visualizes nature through an artist’s eye.

A selection of photographs by Ted Barkhorn is on view at The Bookhouse, 281 Essex Street in Millburn, through June 3.

On Friday, April 20, Barkhorn will give a special pre-Earth Day presentation about his work, discussing how nature and spirituality connect in his art.

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Photos: Ted Barkhorn