Julie Anne Mann returns to the Pacific Northwest after studying and working in New York for 25 years. As a graduate of the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, Mann has exhibited her work throughout the United States and has received numerous awards. Most recently, these include the I-Park Foundation Residency Program in East Haddam, CT; the Weir Farm Art Center Residency Program in Wilton, CT; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Grant in New York, NY. “The majority of her work is composed of natural materials, using their inherent qualities to exemplify or allude to parallels found in human nature. Often, the work weaves in botanical lore and allegories to address the relentless push and pull between humanity and the natural world.” In Mann’s Forest Portrait series, she selected book-matched walnut burl panels to serve as a backdrop for her large-scale tree portraits. After applying silver leaf, a delicate cross-hatching technique reveals the twisted and gnarled shapes that characterize the trees of the Pacific Northwest. The silver leaf creates a soft luminous effect on these anthropomorphic subjects.