There is a time in the creative process when you need to protect your work, let it develop and form in a safe place. And there is a time in the creative process to gather feedback and other points of view, opening your work up for a constructive critique.

My latest body of work, which I’m calling “Variations on the Forest,” is ready for critique. Usually a critique is something I request from trusted sources, in private. But this time, as I prepared a sampling of images for an upcoming PhotoArts Guild Critique Night, I thought I would share them here and invite your feedback and discussion as well. Why not? This blog is a place for work in progress as much as finished concepts.

The work shown here is a sampling of images created in this series over the last two years. As in all of my portfolios, I didn’t develop a concept first and then create the work. It evolved as a response to what I do and what I see as I move through my life, in this case my regular morning hikes. There are some common elements I’m seeking in order to include an image in the body of work, but rather than define them for you I’d like to get your words.

Here are a few prompt questions, to get the conversation started:

• Do the images work together as a group? Why or why not?
• Are there any images that don’t fit with the others for you? Which ones?
• Is there an overall emotion evoked for you? What is it?
• Do you want to see more or interact further with the images? Why or why not?

Let’s discuss!