Vivid green summer trees
I remember thinking that I would only be inspired by the winter trees in their stark silhouetted arrangements and I was happy to see my daily sketches as a winter and early spring pastime.
I have not previously felt drawn to respond to summer trees as it felt too intimidating to try and make sense of the vast edgeless and overlapping forms unless it was from a great distance. But here, walking through and under the increasingly dark canopy, it feels even more comforting. Though the vivid green overwhelms and the contrasts between light and dark are harder to find there is still something magical about the space.
In many ways, it is easier to abstract what I see as it is even more overwhelming than the wintertime. Shapes merge into one another and disappear altogether. Rather than silhouetted branches which I find easier to render, there is no separation between forms – there are few edges and everything is blurred. It takes a great deal more looking even a bit of imagination and exaggeration.
I am not sure I want the changing seasons to be the main element in this work. I think it is more about me responding to the fact the trees are just there – timeless and ageless. These woods I walk in have been there long before I was born and will hopefully remain long after I am gone. So in a sense, winter or summer is just a sidenote. It is the groundedness, the rootedness, the layers on the woodland floor, the twisted branches and roots. That is what I feel when I am there and that is what I want to portray in this work.
I am sharing more about this work on my Patreon page including timelapse and process videos and more!
Recent Comments