The images used in creating Forbidden were captured in an alley in back of a strip mall. It was an industrial environment. The barbed wire on top of a fence kept people out of a building materials yard. It wasn’t the type of place you would imagine a colorful image being produced in.

But there was a beautiful tree growing next to the fence. Its branches crept over and under the barbs. It was early Spring and these branches were covered in deep red and pink blossoms.

I was inspired by the juxtaposition of the two elements and the implication that while we constantly work toward keeping negative things out of our lives, they can get in anyway. Let’s just hope we get more beauty and growth, and fewer barbs.