Maureen Drennan: Garden, from the series Meet Me in the Green Glen, 2009

Garden is an image from Meet Me in the Green Glen, a portrait of Ben, a marijuana grower in Northern California. This photograph was taken right before harvest time, when the plants are at their peak. Although marijuana is legal to grow and use in California within strict guidelines, there are situations in which it is still illegal. It is not culturally acceptable to grow or sell despite the fact that many people in the area grow pot, which is a large part of the local economy. There are other marijuana farmers and dealers in the region who make up a small community, but they mostly operate alone; they are socially and culturally isolated.

Influenced by American writers Flannery O’Connor and Annie Proulx, whose writing evokes an ominously psychological and emotional sense of place, the story of these images is not simply about growing pot but about flawed characters in a constant struggle with life. The environment becomes a character unto itself and amplifies the aloneness of the characters.

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