“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”
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In my last post, I wrote about exploring new creative paths beyond photography and shared some of the work that’s come out of that journey. It’s been both exciting and humbling; learning new materials, experimenting, and letting curiosity lead the way.
The most recent assignment was to create a series of trees.
I began by working on all the backgrounds layering colors, building texture, and just letting the paint move freely across the surface. Once those first layers dried, I returned to them over several creative sessions, exploring different ways to express the idea of trees.
Some turned out bold and graphic, others more atmospheric, quiet, and dreamlike. I found myself using the normal colors, greens and earth tones. But it was the unexpected colors, pinks, purples, some high contrast and others just simple doodles that I found I was drawn too. Each piece seemed to grow its own personality as I worked, shifting with my mood and the rhythm of the day.
It’s funny, I didn’t realize until this project how much painting trees parallels photographing them. In both, I find myself drawn to structure, texture and form and the feeling that each tree has a story to tell.
This series became less about representing a tree and more about feeling it. Its energy, presence, and history.
The gallery above I’m sharing several of the finished pieces. Together they form a small forest of experiments, a reflection of growth, both creative and personal.
Each new piece I make, whether it’s a photograph, a collage, or a painting feels like another step in finding my creative rhythm. I’m learning to trust the process, to let things unfold naturally instead of forcing an outcome. This tree series reminded me how connected all of my creative pursuits really are. The camera, the paintbrush, the paper, and the texture, they’re all just different ways of seeing and expressing the same wonder. As I keep following my creative path, I hope to continue growing, one tree, one image, one creative moment at a time.