"Ghost Trees"- tree portrait series
Charcoal and acrylic media on panels
30" H x 24" W x 1.5" D 

"Ghost Trees - Spring Forest Walk" 
Triptych - 48" W x 24"H x 1.5"D 
Charcoal, acrylic media on panels

I expected the New England spring forest this year to be full of dried out ghost trees and stumps after the infestations and dry heat of last summer but was pleasantly surprised to find the woods mostly lush and green. The old Ash and Elm ghost trees have fallen over the winter and the new growth of Maples and Oak have so rapidly filled in the gaps with new bright yellow, green and healthy leaves. There are, of course, a few stalwart old trees and trunks standing vertically and proudly as a reminder of last summer's stresses and a warning of climate change challenges to come. 

Below is  the Ghost Trees F- Spring Forest Walk in a favorite fantasy room setting. It's fun to experiment with the Smartist app to set paintings in a faux room and see how they look in a specific setting. It's can be a telling practice, informative about what is working, or not, in an individual composition or a series, and in what types of spaces they might best live. 

Far and Near. When I walk my dogs in the forest, I usually end up bushwacking through tangles of undergrowth in trying to find an opening to a path. In this series I explore the feeling of  being  trapped in the close-up of vegetation and relief on finding an opening. These paintings are 24" x 30" x 1.5" and are oil on cradled wood panels. 

Trees and more trees. I can never get enough. I love spending time in the forest and prefer the wild, untamed woods to trimmed and controlled landscapes. These are more tree paintings in a variety of mediums - acrylic, oil and watercolor paints on panels and canvas. 

To me, all trees have distinct personalities, are mysterious and have stories to tell; whether the newly lichen-laden trees in Massachusetts (climate change at work) or light struggling to peek through the forest undergrowth or various species old and new struggling for light and survival.  Sizes vary between acrylic paintings on wood (18" x 18") and canvas - approximately 60"w x 44"h x 1"d.