Richard K. Kent

The series Patch of Woods offers views of Landis Woods, a 70-acre wooded park in Manheim Township, Lancaster County. This small, public tract of land, not far from where I live, constitutes a fragile

ecosphere hemmed in by development and threatened by climate change. In addition, a variety of

invasive species are overtaking the woods.

 

I record what I encounter there: evidence of birds and animals; an artifact from a bygone era; objects—sometimes very curious—deliberately left by others; structures, like a lean-to of fallen branches, that

come and go; things lost; and the inevitable litter or vandalism one regrettably finds in a public space.

The series includes the occasional portrait that results from a meeting and conversation with another

trail walker. Other pictures simply record my effort to capture the quality of light on the trails—several unmarked—that I walk in all seasons. I also document what occurs along the woods' edge, including

work on the neighboring farm or the continuing pressure of new houses built along its borders.

 

The future of the woods as a viable habitat, especially for birds of prey like owls and hawks, is

precarious. Recently, the farm along its southern edge has been sold and is slated for development. As rapid suburban growth quickly erases signs of the agrarian past surrounding the park, I’m also far more aware that Landis Woods is located in a township where all indigenous names, other than that of the Conestoga River, have been erased.

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I have worked intermittently on Patch of Woods for over a decade—first using black and white and then color, medium-format film. Increasingly, the prints I make are from digital captures.

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Ten pictures from the series were included in the solo exhibition Layered Time: Photographs at Lancaster Galleries​ in Lancaster, PA (August 11-September 3, 2022).​ Twenty-seven pictures from it were included

in the solo exhibition Passing Days / Passing Strange in the Winter Visual Arts Center, Franklin &

Marshall College (March 6 - 28, 2025).