Lan Su Garden in downtown Portland, Oregon, is one of the most stunning and authentic Chinese scholar gardens in North America. Photographer Carol Isaak found refuge there during the pandemic and fell in love with its archways, plants, bridges, and the way modulated light would puncture its exterior walls. Isaak photographed the garden in all four seasons for this collection in an attempt to express the serenity she felt while in the garden.
Chinese scholar gardens are meant to express calm and provoke contemplation. The layers and shadows in Isaak's work do both these things. The garden is a collaboration between sister cities Portland, Oregon, and Suzhou, China. Lan Su is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025.
