Conservation

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Petrified Forest

Sunday, January 24th, 2021

Crystal Forest Trail, Petrified Forest National Park, AZ – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.

Silent reverence for geologic history, Petrified Forest National Park, Crystal Forest Trail AZ USA. Not a whole lot more to draw here! The land is barren except for desert grass and the odd tumbleweed. This was once a lush forest, and dinosaurs roamed here. It was February, but I bet this place looks the same in July. The silence was layered with dry grasses in the breeze, ravens’ calls, and my imagination.

I had never seen a tumbleweed up close before, so since I hadn’t seen any traffic or other people for about an hour, I hopped out of the car to take photos of one in the middle of the road before it blew away. Satisfied with the takes, I got up off the road and a bus was right there 25 ft. away, waiting for me to finish. I don’t know how long the bus was there, but was thankful the driver didn’t honk… and more thankful that he saw me.

Matthiessen State Park, IL

Saturday, November 21st, 2020

Matthiessen State Park, Illinois US – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

This park located near Oglesby epitomizes the word “anomaly”. The surrounding landscape is flat for miles and miles, with a lot of farm fields and no hint at all that such pockets of vastly different ecosystems occur side by side, merging so abruptly. In fact, we know a guy who grew up an hour from there and he didn’t even know it existed! There are a few other hiking trails and hidden canyons with waterfalls in the area too.

Zebras at Fossil Rim

Thursday, November 19th, 2020

Zebras at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Fossil Rim is a wonderful drive-through park, dedicated to conservation, research, training and education. You may be greeted by guanacos, zebras and ostrich, and can take your own time, but there are also guided tours.

Golden Lion Tamarin

Sunday, November 8th, 2020

Golden Lion Tamarin at the Dallas World Aquarium, Texas – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper.

These sweet little primates are only about 10 inches and 1.5 lb full-grown. They are considered an endangered species, with an estimated 3,200 confined to areas of tropical rainforest in southeastern Brazil.

Sleepy Sun Bear

Friday, October 30th, 2020

Sleepy Sun Bear, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.

I took some great photos of this sun bear soaking up the sun on a warm winter day at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas – what a character. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Asian Sun Bear as vulnerable because the population has declined by 35% in the past 30 years.

The Angel Oak

Friday, October 9th, 2020

The Angel Oak on Johns Island, South Carolina – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper. The Live Oak with massive branches is estimated to be 400-500 years old. We visited during a tropical storm, so we were lucky to experience the magnificence of this tree all be ourselves.

California Redwood

Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

California Redwood, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 140 lb watercolor paper.

Mount Wellington Summit, Tasmania

Sunday, September 6th, 2020

Mount Wellington Summit, officially named kunyani, Tasmania – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.

Google: kunanyi (pronounced koo-narn-yee) means ‘mountain’ in palawa kani, the beautifully revived language of Tasmanian Aborigines.

Sacred Sunrise: Uluru, Australia

Monday, June 29th, 2020

Sacred Sunrise: Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, aboriginal peoples’ sacred ancestral grounds in Northern Territory, Australia. 16H x 20W inches soft pastels on 140 lb cold pressed premium watercolor paper. Framed size approximately 21H x 25W inches, white wood frame with crackle finish.

The Angel Oak, South Carolina

Saturday, April 14th, 2018

This article and set of photos, initially written in 2008 and updated in 2018, honors the tireless efforts to halt construction on John’s Island, South Carolina that would have encroached on an area of land boasting the Oak tree estimated to be 400 to 500 years old. Thanks to conservation and other local groups like schools and churches, individual donors, pro-bono work from lawyers, a sizable grant, and numerous petitions, we are reassured that persistence does make a difference on this planet. The land surrounding the Angel Oak is no longer in jeopardy. Read more about this amazing tree.

Charleston, SC is proud of its heritage and respected for its commitment to preserving history in the area, and after many years, residents were finally victorious over plans that would have cut down nearby trees and forest in favor of land development.
In one 2008 online petition there were hundreds of pages of interesting comments and pleas from residents who have fond memories of climbing the branches as children, plus exclamations written by tourists – national and international – who have visited the area specifically to see the Angel Oak. The tree is so significant to locals, a nearby elementary school carries its name. Picnics, weddings and reunions are held in the Angel Oak Park, including an annual summer Arts event, “Evening under Angel Oak” featuring live music, drama and other activities.
During August, 2008 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. Although the light was not ideal, fortunately rain subsided long enough to take photos.
This is one impressive tree! The 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 when taking photos, but obviously necessary. Growth is spread outward more than upward. No wonder it is considered sacred by the locals… there is an appreciable presence felt while standing silently under its canopy, which apparently occupies 2,000 yards of space above.

It occurred to me that this tree has lived through one serious chunk of history, and I wondered what was happening on our planet when it was knee-high to an acorn? The Angel Oak’s parent-tree and surrounding forest flourishes for eons before one special acorn falls from one of the magnificent Oaks on the southeastern shores of a land only known to the indigenous peoples then. The acorn sprouts along with many others, but this one will outlive the rest, seasoning hurricanes, climate changes, human encroachment and wars.
Much of what we are familiar with; our collective modern identity has been shaped by the events and people who lived and died since the Angel Oak established its first roots in the earth. If trees could talk…!
The Angel Oak does not exist on its own. It depends on the surrounding forest, so any deliberate disturbance in the immediate soil or neighboring properties would disrupt its far-reaching and delicate root system. Thankfully, now the tree will remain host to a myriad of life forms, supporting an abundant, specialized ecosystem of mosses, fungi and fern varieties, insects and amphibians – hopefully for five hundred more years. The Angel oak lives on as one of the true jewels on this planet.

While older, poorer quality photos are still gradually being replaced, the Majesty of Trees / Dancing with Trees exhibition website is now updated. Check it out!