a love of trees

5 January 2018

In the last month I have been including trees in my abstract landscapes again. The one above is my latest one, finished just a couple of days ago. While I was painting it I was thinking back on all the trees I've painted over the years. I mean the the ones that have been an important part of the story the painting is telling, not just ones that form a background to another focal point like a building or mountain.

Trees have been an ongoing theme for me. I add them to a painting to tell a story. The way trees are shaped, rooted to the ground or rocks, their colours and size carries message or an emotion in the same way the expression on a face can. Trees routed to the ground give a sense of place. Solitary trees give a sense of space, isolation, or serenity. Knarled trees have character, a reflection of the life they have led. Not all my trees are serious, though, often I just want to convey the beauty of nature, the joy of colour, the whimsy of imagination.

Plus, I'm definitely a tree hugger. Ask any of my friends. No walk in the bush is complete without a tree hug.

So this morning while waiting for paint to dry (the ongoing occupational hazard of a painter!), I dug way back in my archives to find some of my favourite tree paintings from the years.

Enjoy!

From 2007...

"Things I left behind" - acrylics on canvas

"Room to grow" - acrylics and oil pastel on canvas

**From 2012**

"The Lollipop Tree" - acrylics over collage on canvas SOLD

"The Three Poplars" - acrylics on canvas SOLD

"Summer Holiday" - acrylics on canvas SOLD

**From 2013**

**From 2014**

"The Leafy Baobab" - acrylics over collage on canvas SOLD

**From 2017**

"Where I Belong" - acrylics on canvas SOLD

"Where I Belong 2" - acrylics on canvas SOLD

Here's to more trees for 2018. I'm already excited to clear my studio of current projects and do a large one :-)
PS
Of the paintings shown here, only the top one is still available (please enquire). I have a number of little ones not shown available here.