TREES BARK
I focus on present day environmental issues using historic drawing methods; primarily exploring the dichotomous forces of nature, from its staggering beauty to its extreme dangers. In 2009, we lost over 3000 trees in a Derecho, leaving massive visual and environmental scars. Seeing so many fallen and shredded trees increased my awareness of their height and weight. For several years, replicating their massive scale was a major factor of my work. “Revolving,” (46-feet-long) is a life-size, falling tree that cycles through the seasons of the year before returning to the earth. After spending years drawing large-scale trees and plants, my focus turned more detailed in a series of drawings on various kinds of graph paper. Using the circular format of “Revolving,” these works concentrate on the pattern and movement of the barks that protect and strengthen trees. My recent work embeds trees with the means to protect themselves against man, insects, and disease. (See “Vine Garrote” and “Kentucky Coffee Tree.”)