Thursday, April 7, 2016

A New Direction

Leafy Prayer

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts its leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
 A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.

-Joyce Kilmer
American writer and poet

This painting was executed for a show at the gallery in Columbus, OH where I have my work.  The show is in honor of Poetry month which is in April.  All of the artists in the gallery were asked to pair with either a contemporary poet or a favorite historical poet and create a piece of art to reflect a poem.  I chose the poem above, which has been a favorite of mine for many years.

The background of the painting is gold leaf, both 18 and 23k, which was applied to the surface before I painted the tree and surrounding landscape. After the gold was applied, the surface was sealed and glazes in pale blue were added to the background to create the sky.

I had great fun working on this painting and it sold the weekend it was hung.


Sunlit Willow

Click to Bid The willow tree is one of my favorites. I love the shape of the tree, it's tiny leaves that glimmer in the sunlight and ...