…beauty is the projection of ugliness and by developing certain monstrosities we obtain the purest ornaments.
–Jean Genet, Miracle of the Rose
As promised, below is the original photo used to create this image. It’s a lichen and moss covered tree trunk and exposed roots from my backyard. Taken on an overcast day with no special lighting or retouching, just a snap from my smart phone. In Photoshop, I also added a flower-shaped layer mask and a gradient fill for the background.

