quercus woodland #10

6 x6 " canvas $75 - email me for availability

quercus woodland #9

Mixed media collage on 6x6" canvas, $75. Currently available at the Artisan Gallery.

tree story #142: held firm and strong

Thank you, Susan!

tree quote #11

"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come."
Chinese proverb

tree story #141

Endless Battle

Still it stands, the tree of life
holding its ground
struggling to survive the endless battle.

Still it comes, the mist of death
unleashing its powers
trying to win the endless battle.

Still there is, an equilibrium
balancing the scales
making sure there is an endless battle.

Still I wonder, could someone win
life or death, growth or decay
bringing an end to the endless battle.

// Magnus Holmgren

tree story #140

Decided to put my own journal story to this one:

Remembering

A break in the recent storms has given me a great desire to get out. I’ve come to this park, next to where they’re building the new high school and find the high school grounds are taking more of the park than I expected. It’s a small blow to my heart. The “tree along the fence” is gone, as is the old fence; it makes me a little sad but bittersweet that I caught it on film while I could.

The ground is wet but not too soggy, covered in short green grass sprouts and fallen oak leaves. I wander around the park and find a well worn foot path dead-ends at a chain link construction fence. New taller fences, looking appropriate for sports courts, are just beyond.

Many of my favorite trees are still here though - I’m also looking to see how they all weathered the recent sixty-five-mile-per-hour winds, so I’m enjoying my old friends for as long as I can. A small flock of doves roosts in the top of the “woodpecker oak” and a few magpies at the top of another. I photograph one of the old heritage oaks that I had called “oak near Palmerson Drive” and one of the “s curve oaks,” reminding me of my kids playing here when they were little. Lots of tiny little finches flit around branches, twittering and calling out to each other, much like the little children in my memory.

quercus woodland #8

Look for this piece of my Quercus Woodland at the upcoming show at the Artisan Gallery, "For the Love of Trees." Second Saturday artists' reception on April 12th, 6-9 p.m.