“Trees are as close to immortality as the rest of us ever come.”

― Karen Joy Fowler

Lately, I’ve been immersed in several creative classes. Since starting them, I’ve been exploring new mediums alcohol inks, colored pencils, acrylic paint, and collage. It’s been a journey of rediscovery and play.

When one of the assignments called for photographing and painting trees, I jumped at the chance.

I went for a hike here at work, camera in hand; we have over 1200 acres. A few days later, some friends visited, and we spent time wandering around Grey Towers, a nearby National Historic Site that’s as full of history as it is beautiful. I also went digging through my image catalog and found a few older shots that fit perfectly.

Among them are two images where the leaves appear a soft purplish hue. Those were taken with an infrared camera, which captures light beyond the visible spectrum.  Revealing an ethereal world that feels both familiar and otherworldly.

I’ve always been enchanted by trees. My sister has a massive poplar behind her house — at least twelve feet in circumference — estimated to be over two hundred years old. It’s humbling to stand beside something that’s been alive for that many generations, quietly witnessing time unfold.

And then there are the redwoods of California, reaching ages of around two thousand years, and the mighty sequoias, closer to three thousand. The oldest known trees in the world? They’re believed to be nearly five thousand years old.

Can you imagine that?
Five millennia of seasons and storms, of human history passing by. Those trees were already ancient when the Romans set out to conquer the world. When Leif Erikson crossed the ocean to explore new lands.  They were witnesses to the Native American Indian history that has been lost to time.    

It’s fascinating to think of what they’ve “seen,” what energy they’ve absorbed, the quiet persistence, the endurance, the wisdom in their rings. No wonder trees have inspired myths, stories, and spiritual traditions across cultures.

Below, I’ve shared two galleries:

• The first galleries features the photographs that I selected for this project.
• The second showcases my efforts at painting.  Pieces, created as part of the same assignment.

Both are a reflection of how I see trees — not just as part of the landscape, but as living witnesses to time itself.  I often find myself strolling among them as I walk my creative path.