Archive for July, 2008
The Angel Oak
Thursday, July 31st, 2008
This set of photos honors the efforts of a petition to halt construction on John’s Island, South Carolina that would encroach on an area of land boasting an Oak tree estimated to be between 1,400 and 1,500 years old.
Charleston, SC is proud of its heritage and respected for its commitment to preserving history in the area, so residents hope that plans will not proceed to cut down nearby trees and forest in favor of land development.
On the petition website, even if you don’t sign you will be able to read pages of interesting comments and pleas from residents who have fond memories of climbing the immense branches as children, how a nearby elementary school carries its name, and exclamations by tourists who have visited the area specifically to see the Angel Oak.
This summer my husband and I drove through South Carolina and took a short detour to John’s Island. We drove through wicked rains at the edge of Tropical storm Faye, so when we arrived at Angel Oak park no one else was there. The tree trunk and lower branches are so immense, they have been propped up with stakes and heavy cables here and there, which is a little intrusive but obviously necessary. Growth is spread outward more than upward, occupying an enormous space at least 150 feet wide.
It occurred to me that this tree has lived through one serious chunk of history, and wondered what was happening on our planet when The Angel Oak was knee-high to an acorn? 1400 years ago it was the year 608 A.D., Common Era. Almost everything we are familiar with; our collective modern identity has been shaped by many of the events and people who lived and died since the Angel Tree established its first roots in the earth.
Angel Oak’s parent-tree was undoubtedly alive for centuries before and during the year 476 A.D. when the last of the Roman emperors died, bringing about the Fall of Rome. Around the 7th Century A.D. an acorn falls from one of the magnificent Oaks on the southeastern shores of a land only known to the indigenous peoples; a land we now refer to as North America.
The acorn sprouts along with many others…but this one will outlive the rest, seasoning hurricanes, wars, and countless generations of playful children climbing it’s branches; it sprouts in conjunction with the collapse of Teotihuacan, one of the major cities in Mesoamerica with widespread influence in central Mexico. The Toltec civilization was unheard of, and would not flourish for another 500 years (1100-1521). Aztecs did not seize power until the 13th century.
When this tree was 300 years old during 901 A.D., the Vikings discovered Greenland. In 1066 William
the Conqueror and the Norman troops conquered England altering the English culture forever by bringing French rule and rivalry with France until the The French Revolution occuring from 1789 - 1799. Circa 1100 A.D. the famous Buddhist temple, Angkor Wat in Cambodia is constructed to house the Hindu faith, then around 1275 A.D. Marco Polo, the Venetian explorer and trader visits China via the The Silk Road, returning to Europe with new foods and goods from the Orient which impact modern culture, medicine and dietary habits today.
The Black Death devastates Europe around 1348 A.D., while the 740 year old Angel Oak thrives. Columbus and other adventurers would not claim to discover America for another 144 years (C. 1592). Leonardo da Vinci, a man light-years ahead of his time in the field of science and medicine through his various studies. By the time he would paint the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo would paint the Sistine Chapel, the Angel Oak has lived for 900 years. The Tree continues growth beyond the life of Galileo, mathemetician and father of modern Astronomy, and through the life of Shakespeare, who established some of the most famous English literature in our era (c. 1564 - 1616).
Year 1776 - Angel Oak is 1,166 years old when the U.S. breaks free from British rule and establishes the first Independence Day In 1895, and by the time the Angel Oak had already survived for 1,287 winters Sigmund Freud would bring modern medicine and humanity into a new open-minded age by announcing his theories of dream psychoanalysis and studies of the human psyche. The First World War between 1914-1918 was followed by WWII, 1939 -45/51.
According to the Angel Oak website, after the Category 5 Hurricane Hugo hit the coast of in 1989, Governor Carroll Campbell is reported to say that the storm destroyed enough timber in South Carolina to frame a home for every family in the state of West Virginia. All those trees and forests obliterated, yet The Angel Oak survived. It has since healed injuries inflicted by Hurricane Hugo.
Aren’t there enough people who empathize with those who live on John’s Island, whose sentiment toward the tree that symbolically links them to family - present and past? Aren’t there at least 20,000 people in the world who care about the sensitivity of every single Coastal ecosystem? The petition is looking for only 20,000 signatures, and has over 900 as I write this post. Here is the petition link.
To view more photos of the Angel Oak click here, and to view more photos of trees click here.
Painting facelift
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
Started April 7th this year, Rocky Mountain Vista recieved a facelift this week before I brought it in to be judged for a local exhibition. There are subtle but positive improvements compared to when I posted it as finished on April 13th. Progress can be reviewed on the April 9th blog post. It is now truly finished!
New heart-shape
Monday, July 28th, 2008
…a new heart shape in nature to add to the series today.
Design Inspiration
Sunday, July 27th, 2008
My Dad recently gave me a few Art books of his. I remember browsing through them when I was younger. He always left his books out laying around on the tables, intending to plant the “drawing seed” in me, and it worked (Thanks, Dad). One of the books I now own is about M. C. Escher. What a mind! You can’t help but flip through pages of Art like that and not be inspired.
This week I was also organizing my photos of leaves, seeds, and bark that I took specifically because of their outstanding design aspects. Looking through the books plus my photos compelled me draw a few designs I’ve had in mind for a couple of years. I may paint some large one-of-a-kind cushion covers using a few of the best.
There is no substitute for a good old fashioned pencil, but it’s sure fun to play with the Paint Shop Pro effects, cut and paste, repeat patterns…there goes the weekend! The drawing combined with computer play have me appreciating Escher’s work so much more. He did not use computers at all.
Magic Hour - work in progress
Thursday, July 24th, 2008
I’m about to take a giant leap and paint over the entire background surface with a wash of white mixed with matte medium. As it is now, the background does not stay where it should because the colors and tone are more powerful than the totem, but it’s the totem that needs our attention. The painting is also too dark, which looks fine in a photo but in the painting it gives a heavy feeling. I have to search for the best way to paint the essence of what Totems are. For example, the wisp of white by the carved bird’s wing really adds a certain something, even though it’s unpainted canvas, so will try to avoid covering it up as work progresses.
Magic Hour
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Magic Hour, the top half of one of the magnificent totem poles of the First Nations of Coastal British Columbia in Thunderbird Park near the Inner Harbor downtown Victoria, B.C. 60 x 40 x 3 Acrylics on wrapped canvas. Phase 2, work in progress.
I began sketching with an Alizarine Crimson and Red Oxide base, and drawing is mapped with brushes rather than laying out the composition beforehand. Not adhering to a rigid plan allows for a loose manner and spontaneous surprises; the process is organic, and though I need to work from photos, relies mainly on emotional memory and response to the subject, here still fresh in mind. We were there a week ago, probably the best time of day to take in the experience: just as the sun set. I changed the tree silhouette to a typical B.C. horizon of tall Red Cedar, whereas the trees in that park are Maples.
Trees, a 12 month calendar
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
This week I’m setting all paintings aside to update the websites and associated material. There’s a new 2009 12-month calendar available portraying some of the tree-specific Artwork. Just click on the thumbnails to have a better view of each.
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Plus: All the 12 and 18 month True Colors and Heart Shapes in Nature calendars have been revised for 2009-2010 with a new lineup of images. The Heart Shapes website is being updated this week, so is in a temporary transition phase. Please see Websites as Canvas to view the complete 2009 calendar lineup.
Special effects
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
The whorling pattern of Sunflower seeds on this large seed-head has a hypnotic effect. (You neeeeed to purchase my Artwork!)
Two more interesting garden pics: tendrils of a cucumber vine reaching out like hands, grasping dead sunflower leaves…and the outer petals of a sunflower bud.
Salt Spring Island Fog
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Salt Spring Island Fog 18 x 24 inches graphite, eraser, dry pastels, colored pencils on paper, framed size 28.5 x 34.5 inches, accepted for VAST’s 2009 Calendar. All accepted original works will be displayed, meet the Artists and purchase a signed calendar (or more!) November- December, 2008 at The Chestnut Tree in Denton, TX. (will post the actual date when available).
Everything’s Bigger in Texas
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
After two weeks away, one of the first things I did was inspect the garden, most curious about the cucumbers, because it’s the first year they’ve survived this far into the season. There I was at midnight, feeling around in the dark, and found a cucumber that had grown from 1/2 inch long to 8″L X 3″ wide during that short time. I expected to find a virtual Jack And The Bean Stalk situation this morning, but all the other cukes are average-sized. The heart-shaped cookie cutters I placed around some veggies have fallen off, so will have to try again; now able to monitor the progress of growth.