Bloom

When nature and art merge, brilliant and unexpected things can happen. Here, in conjunction with photographer/editor Christopher Makos, breakout artist Paul Solberg has created an astonishing collection of photographs. Solberg's 'Bloom' takes an oft-visited subject - flowers - and approaches it from a new, bold angle. Working in a still-life, studio format, Solberg created sumptuous floral portraits detailing living entities. He captured the flowers at the moment of their most extraordinary beauty: when they are first blossoming. The reader will simultaneously see the static quality and ongoing nature of the living bloom: In almost three-dimensional work, the photo effervesces with tranquility. Unlike the catalogue-esque quality of many books dedicated to flowers, Bloom is not bogged down with saccharin sentimentality, and its images are crafted with precision and clarity. Paul Solberg is a photographic version of Georgia O'Keeffe as he turns petals into organic sculpture, blooms into modern architecture and curving stems into Balanchine dancers.