Bihl Haus Arts
Roy Pittman • Between The Leaves.

Roy Pittman, featured photographer.

Japanese aesthetics permeate Roy Pittmann’s photographs of nature, the outcome of his childhood experiences in Japan where he lived with his family. In Japan, the concept of beauty is integral to daily life. Although the impermanence of beauty and daily life are sometimes lamented in Japanese arts, they are more often celebrated for their evanescence. Joy and beauty, found in the present moment, are commemorated through tradition, such as in the elegant tea ceremony, in which even the smallest detail has meaning, and through the arts—in writing, painting, metalworking, gardening . . .

In a similar fashion, Pittman celebrates the transient disposition of nature in his depictions of native Texas flora. In these photographs, the artist, eschewing the flower in full bloom or the leaf at pitch perfection, follows the dictum of 14th-century Buddhist essayist Kenko: Branches about to blossom or gardens strewn with faded flowers are worthier of our admiration. In his photographs, Pittman isolates on a soft white ground the single fading leaf or the lone wilting flower. These large-scale images, set slightly off center, present a universal truth: All life is fleeting.

Kellen Kee McIntyre, executive director, Bihl Haus Arts.

Eric Lane, El Jefe Fotográfico, Bihl Haus Arts.

Kellen Kee McIntyre, Roy Pittman, and artist rep Karen Bella.

Views of the exhibit Between The Leaves by Roy Pittman.

Selected images from the exhibit Between The Leaves by Roy Pittman.

Opening reception at Bihl Haus Arts.

Patty Leslie and Greg Pasztor admiring Roy Pittman’s images.

Jeffery Dyer, Roland Mazuca, and patterned shirts.

Carolyn Sanchez, Eric Lane, Anne Valente, and Rafael Guerra, board members, Bihl Haus Arts.

David Rubin and Russel Stephenson.

Ann Valente, Sarah Murphree, and Phil Valente.

Primrose, by Roy Pittman.