Artist Statement by Sean Du: Above the Treeline is an ongoing study that seeks to capture, by way of hiking and climbing, seldom-seen views of North America's mountain wildernesses. These journeys to the mountain tops were my communion with the natural world. The North Cascades of Washington have all the elements a mountain lover could dream of – massive amount of snowfall created glaciers that sculpted the mountains into rugged granite spires and formed deep, U-shaped valleys lined with lush meadows and soaring conifers; ample moisture often leave the mountains surrounded by clouds, adding to the sense of mystery; meltwater from the snow and glaciers trickle down to form great rivers that ultimately gave the mountain range its name.
“Nature as a poet, an enthusiastic workingman, becomes more and more visible the farther and higher we go; for the mountains are fountains – beginning places, however related to sources beyond mortal ken.” – John Muir
My images of these mountains focus on views from “above the treeline”, where the idea of “the mountains as fountains” really comes into full view. The images are culminations of the vertical journeys that took me through a variety of vegetation zones before topping out in the world of snow, ice and rocks. Where trails disappear among the taluses and boulders and I am left to pick my own way, I enjoy a newfound sense of freedom in a time and space that’s way larger than ourselves. To a city dweller like me, the mountains are the last reminders of what the world was made of, and I hope my pictures of them will serve as mediators capable of re-connecting the viewers to the planet we call home.
Sean Du is a landscape photographer, earning a BFA in photography from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Exhibiting at prestigious galleries throughout the West, he is locally represented by Yuan Ru Art Center.
The North Cascades of Washington have all the elements a mountain lover could dream of