Row of Trees, Green Timbers
A panoramic photograph of Green Timbers by local artist Geoffrey Milne is on display at City Hall.
Artist: Geoffrey Milne
Location: 2nd Floor Reception Area at City Hall (13450 104 Avenue)
Category: Civic collection
Year Installed: 2019
About Row of Trees, Green Timbers
This panoramic photograph, measuring 38.1 x 228.6 cm, is part of the artist’s ongoing study titled Bare Trees. The series follows the changing light and shape of trees from fall to spring in Green Timbers, Surrey. To date, Rows of Trees, Green Timbers is the only photograph in the series in full colour. It was taken in November of 2014 and shows the bright yellow of the remaining leaves woven with the bare branches and strong daylight to create a sparkling vista. The artist says that he wanted to “give the viewer an opportunity to explore the photograph, finding the symmetry of the entangled and intermingled branches and leaves.” The photograph captures a mood unique to the fall through heavy contrast between the bright trees and the dark background.
About Geoffrey Milne
Born into a family of architects and artists, the concept of art and technology came naturally to Geoffrey Milne at a young age. As a boy, he studied painting and sculpture at Le Museé De Beaux Arts in Montreal. Then, at the age of nine, Milne picked up his first camera and taught himself how to develop film and print photographs. He studied photography at Vanier College in Montreal and then went on to study contemporary and conceptual art at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver.
Working as a commercial photographer and filmmaker for over thirty years, his employers and clients have included the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, Surrey School District, restaurant chains, graphic artists, and various businesses in British Columbia and Alberta. He founded the Photography Program at Surrey College and taught at the University of the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Community College. Milne continues to teach and his work has been shown in Vancouver, Langley, Lake Louise Alberta, White Rock, Surrey Art Gallery, and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.