While this captures an interesting texture, I feel that the image could be improved by paying more attention to composition. Perhaps framing the picture to concentrate on either the interesting shape at the bottom of the frame or the stripy section at the top would help. At the moment my eye doesn't feel particularly drawn to either. It's important to think about how the shapes in the frame interact. Shooting from an angle where those stripes converge in perspective, for example, might give a more eye-catching image. Strong diagonal or curvy lines right across (or most of the way across) the frame can help.

Although I like the textures in the image and am sure it is wonderful 'in the flesh', I feel that it needed a focal point so that my eyes could rest from constantly scanning the image. The curve at the bottom could possibly have been that point but by almost cutting it off at the bottom it stops your eye from staying there and you scan upwards from that.

Thanks for the comments. I struggled with this shot finding that once done it actually has no real focal point, as identified.

I love the texture and patterns in this image, but I don't think it translated to B&W very well. Would like to see a colour version with maybe a different comp to emphasise the patterns. :)

I like it - it makes me think of a top-down view of a landscape, but it's actually a close up.
The black and white I think is very effective - it's remeniscent of many traditional American landscape photographers that will have wandered the landscape for days at a time.
Colour would spoil, as it wouldn't work in as many ways.

Would like to see it big and sharp though - I can't tell from 245k.

sorry but this doesn't do it for me at all. yes its a nice pattern but for me there is nothing to capture the eye and hold it. as far as i can see it could be anything and indeed i thought initially it was a piece of rock. its not an image that grabs you by the throat and makes you think WOW! i think its right to be a mono piece however as its all about light and shade and texture, but i think other comments hit the nail on the head when they said that the eye doesn't stop moving whils searching for a focal point to look at.

I like this. A simple study of texture. The conversion to B&W helps with this - if there was colour, the impact of the texture would have been lost.

Personally, I don't like that 'curly bit' that is adjacent to the lower edge. I find it distracting. I think it would have been better to exclude it from the composition entirely, or to 'move' it further into the frame. As it is, emerging from the edge, it looks as though it was an accident that wasn't spotted at the time of shooting.

last chance bump

This is a past time of mine, tree bark, i love it.  I would not have guessed that your pic was tree bark.  interesting though, it made me come and have a more detailed look.