"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself."
- William Blake, 1799, The Letters
Blake’s observation speaks directly to the fact that people react differently, according to their own predilection, when confronting a thing—whether a tree or a work of art. For those of us who get stoked by nature, arboriform associations abound. Wherever I look, I innately pick up tree-forms and natural connections that grapple with texture, pattern, and color. Others will react or they won’t. I simply want people to have the opportunity to perceive and consider.
The connecting threads that run through these paintings relate to colors, shapes, and forms that can be found in the physical aspects of nature. To me, Nature is Imagination itself, speaks to the role imagination plays in how one contemplates the natural world. Each person brings their own imagination to bear on what is before them. Our earth is an open notebook on how to become (and remain) inspired. There is so much out there that moves one and unleashes the creative pipeline.
The actual colors found in nature are a jumping off point for the expressive color of the imagination. Interpretive colors do not have to relate to what really exists. Color portrays the evoked emotions.
The elemental language of shapes applies to the different pieces of the literal ‘tree shapes’ to the more sublime and poetic interpretation of patterns and forms that entwine within each composition.
