I'm head and eyes, or would that be limbs and trunk, into my photographs of trees. Sort and resort, sort by size, colour, texture, function, look for themes, look for opposites, find pairs. Peel back the layers of intuition.
Seek answers....
What attracted me to these images?
Was there underlying symbolism?
Was it an aesthetic attraction?
Does the scene have some emotional connection?
We have all kinds of words that refer to trees growing together in groups:
boscage, brake, chaparral, coppice, copse, covert, dingle, forest, grove, orchard, park, plantation, spinney, stand, thicket, woodland, woods .
It depends on where you live and how large the grouping of trees is. My photos tell me I'm not really interested in bunches of trees. I prefer those that are:
Solitary
alone
cloistered
unfrequented
desolate
remote
deserted
unattended
sequestered
lonely
alone
cloistered
unfrequented
desolate
remote
deserted
unattended
sequestered
lonelyI'm wondering....
Did I take these photos because ones eyes are automatically attracted to that which stands alone or is different from its surroundings? Or is it an emotional attraction to things that symbolize feelings? Or is it both or neither?
11 comments:
Dear Maragret,
I am enjoying being a passenger on this journey of yours and it will be interesting to see where to it leads.
Warmest regards
Egmont
Me too... I am always attracted to the one single, lonely, alone-- tree -- or the single one bird in the bare limbs of a tree-- don't know why.
Hi Margaret - this is a lovely analysis of your attraction to trees in certain settings. You've assigned lonely feelings to the settings which speak from your heart. Maybe that's where your series will lead you as you paint it. I look at single trees as survivors who've beaten the odds against them to thrive in a hostile environment. They are strong and stand in all their glory despite it all. Is the glass half empty or half full?
Ahhhh, the creative adventure. Thanks for sharing yours with us.
I found as a child I could only climb one tree at a time, whether it was solo, in a grove, or in a forest. And on the way up - and down - I found out so much about each of them. I always liked the solo ones best, though, because I could see the rest of the world from a much better vantage point when I was nestled in its branches...
I like Kathy's analogy about the solo trees being survivors in a hostile world. I can relate...
"...A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;..."
-Don
Thanks for sharing those tree images. Each word was so fitting for each image. A forest can be wonderful, like a party. It can be overwhelming and frightening. But a solitary tree -- it can feel like a friend, a ghost, an object of contemplation, a shy being in need of protection, a sheltering home.
My next dog walk in 10 degree weather is going to be a search for solitary trees.
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
Hi Margaret,
Just letting you know that voting is now open for the NL Bloggers Choice Award on the NL BlogRoll. Not sure if you heard of the new initiative yet, but I figured I'd let you know in case you wanted to let your readers know to vote for you!
I agree with Kathy about lone trees being survivors. I think we also attribute wisdom to the old ones.
Wonderful analysis. I love the way you describe your thought processes, the way your react to your environment, and what sparks your creativity. Keep it up, Margaret.
for me, it's the first - it's a composition thing, i guess. a tiny curiosity: in norway, we've got this metaphorical expression 'can't see the forest because of the trees'.
happy new year margaret!
Your search is already yielding answers. What an interesting journey. I tend to pick groups of trees so I'm intrigued by your choice of one and what it may end up meaning to you.
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