Flora
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Home for Aspen & Evergreen Trees - Watercolor & Pastel
Looking up into the treetops of a pretty mountain forest, the bright spring greens of new aspen leaves and soft fresh tips of the evergreens enliven our senses! The new growth inspires us as we breathe in this beautiful moment.
When you pick up a leaf and look closely at its veins, do you see the structure of a tree? In an aspen leaf, the main stem or vein looks like the tree trunk with primary branches extending from it, and smaller branches from those. The whole tree pattern is displayed in its leaves!
And have you ever noticed the Fibonacci spiral in a tree’s branch arrangement or the bracts of an evergreen cone? This spiral with its unique numerical sequence is a blueprint seen throughout nature in the petals of a rose, tree buds in early spring, seashells on a beach, and the shape of entire galaxies in the night sky. The same pattern in a tree is perfect so new growth does not block the older branches from sunlight and this spiral makes efficient use of rainfall which is directed down to the roots.
In my painting, Home for Aspen & Evergreen Trees, I’ve highlighted tree patterns in the aspen leaves and spirals in the spruce, fir, and pine cones. There are five aspen leaves and five evergreen cones, each a symbol of infinite renewal and growth. Spending time in a beautiful forest renews our souls too, and lifts our spirits higher as we linger there with the trees. We take a deep breath of the fresh clean air, and we are present in the peaceful harmony of nature.
See Original ~ See Print
When you pick up a leaf and look closely at its veins, do you see the structure of a tree? In an aspen leaf, the main stem or vein looks like the tree trunk with primary branches extending from it, and smaller branches from those. The whole tree pattern is displayed in its leaves!
And have you ever noticed the Fibonacci spiral in a tree’s branch arrangement or the bracts of an evergreen cone? This spiral with its unique numerical sequence is a blueprint seen throughout nature in the petals of a rose, tree buds in early spring, seashells on a beach, and the shape of entire galaxies in the night sky. The same pattern in a tree is perfect so new growth does not block the older branches from sunlight and this spiral makes efficient use of rainfall which is directed down to the roots.
In my painting, Home for Aspen & Evergreen Trees, I’ve highlighted tree patterns in the aspen leaves and spirals in the spruce, fir, and pine cones. There are five aspen leaves and five evergreen cones, each a symbol of infinite renewal and growth. Spending time in a beautiful forest renews our souls too, and lifts our spirits higher as we linger there with the trees. We take a deep breath of the fresh clean air, and we are present in the peaceful harmony of nature.
See Original ~ See Print
Home for Sugar Maple ~ Watercolor ~ Adirondack Museum Collection
As we look deep within the essence of a sugar maple, we see trees reaching endlessly skyward. The leaf reflects the viability of its source, the towering sugar maple tree. Its neighbors, the hemlock, beech, and birch trees, are part of the dense canopy that shades sugar maple seedlings, nurturing the young trees' growth. In boreal forests, populations of sugar maple have declined due to acid rain. This pollution not only impacts our natural areas, but also local economies that depend on the production of maple sugar and wood products. As we think about our natural and human communities, let's ensure the health of our forests. Precipitation should nurture our soils and trees, just like the gorgeous fall colors nurture our senses.
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See Print
Home for Red Spruce ~ Watercolor & Pastel ~ Adirondack Museum Collection
In the foreground of this painting are five red spruce trees. It's a peaceful winter day and the snow shimmers gold with the rays of the morning sun. The shadow of one young tree is a massive snowflake, structured from limbs of a red spruce naked of needles yet just about to bud new growth. A rare Bicknell's thrush is perched on the snowflake toward the light to see what the future holds for our precious forest. The large red spruce in the foreground has no shadow to symbolize that we can heal past damage caused by pollution. We now look forward to a new relationship with nature.
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See Print
Home for Mother Forest ~ Watercolor ~ Arc of Appalachia Collection
The cradling hands that make up the forest floor in this painting represent you and I conserving the world's forests,
nurturing our relationship with the natural world.
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nurturing our relationship with the natural world.
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Home for Spring Magic ~ Watercolor ~ Arc of Appalachia Collection
Ferns, trillium, jack in the pulpit – each plant within the micro community is in perfect balance.
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Home for Three Sisters ~ Watercolor ~ Arc of Appalachia Collection
Within one tiny drop, is an entire ecological system.
I sit for hours by the Three Sisters rock formations on this hot, steamy day and this painting is born.
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I sit for hours by the Three Sisters rock formations on this hot, steamy day and this painting is born.
See Print