When poets鈥� words and a painter鈥檚 brushstrokes come together to create entirely unique pieces of art it could be fate 鈥� or it could be Written in the Forest.

That is the title 91原创 painter Susan Falk has chosen for a new exhibit of her work 鈥� the result of her collaboration with a collection of Lower Mainland poets 鈥� which opens at the Fort Gallery this weekend.

The series consists of 12 paintings 鈥� each 36鈥� high by 18鈥� wide 鈥� which will be sold for a minimum of $350 each through a silent auction.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales will go to Watchers of 91原创 Forests (WOLF), a local non-profit group which fought to save 25 acres of mature-growth forest in North 91原创, known as McLellan Forest from being sold for development.

Roughly 60 per cent of that land,  which is located in Glen Valley, has now been set aside, but WOLF is continuing to work to have that portion and the remainder of the property formally preserved as a  park.

Among those who have  been heavily involved in the campaign to help preserve the forest is poet Susan McCaslin.

Falk said the poet first contacted her a few years ago about a possible collaboration. The timing wasn鈥檛 right, said the painter, but the women鈥檚 paths crossed once again in the forest last autumn and something clicked.

鈥淚 watched (the poets) perform 鈥� this was in the forest itself,鈥� said Falk.

鈥淥ne poet, Celeste Snowber, was doing a performance piece of one of her poems. With the forest and the light coming through, it was very dramatic and I started to think about how to blend the poetry and the painting.鈥�

Through McCaslin, Falk put out a call for poetry related to the forest any forest, not just McLellan.

Once she had permission to use the work, the question became whether to paint each canvas based on the poetry鈥檚 imagery or to do the paintings and then see which poems lent themselves best to the artwork.

What she discovered was that all the artists, herself included, had come away with a similar sense of their surroundings.

鈥淥ne continual energy was the green in the forest. It came up in a lot of the poems and I鈥檓 feeling that, too,鈥� Falk said.

鈥淭he paintings came quickly. Then I began incorporating the poetry.鈥�

Using a gold oil-based marker, Falk inscribed lines from a dozen poems across the finished canvases.

鈥淪ome (matches) came easy, others were trickier,鈥� she said.

Mixing vibrant pinks, purples, reds, blues and oranges with the more traditional greens and browns of the moss laden branches within the thickly forested parcel of land, Falk created the 12 smaller pieces and one other, much larger, canvas. This one, at 6鈥� x 7鈥�,  will be for sale as well, though not through the auction.

During the exhibit鈥檚 opening on Saturday, May 11, from noon to 3 p.m. the poets will give readings of their work inside the gallery.

Written in the Forest runs from May 8 to 26 at Fort Gallery, located at 9048 Glover Rd. in Fort 91原创. Call 604-888-7411.