Day 8: Weeping European Beech
For this larger mixed media piece, I wanted to capture the unique, hanging quality of this tree. When you're standing beneath it, it feels like being under a vast umbrella. There's something magical about the experience.
While spending time in the park this past week, I noticed how children are naturally drawn to it, just as I was. It has a quiet, inviting presence that’s hard to put into words.
For some reason, people feel compelled to carve their names into this tree. Poor thing. But in a strange way, I think it shows how much people love it, in their own weird, 1980s kind of way. The '80s really were a free-roaming jungle.
I've included some photos below, but they don’t quite capture the feeling of being under it. This is one you really have to see in person to fully appreciate.
I started by drawing with a simple pencil to paper to let it lead me where I should go. It was readily apparent this would be a larger mixed media piece rather than one simple drawing as I have done with the Sycamore Maple and Swiss Stone Pine. I envisioned adding color to this drawing with a watercolor wash. Below is a video of a moment in the drawing.
Back in the studio, I let the drawing sit on the table for a few days while I went out into the park to draw other trees and think about the direction I wanted to take this. Sometimes it takes days or months to germinate an idea. You can see it here on the table with the other works. I like to work on multiple pieces of art at once so if I get stuck, I have other things to work on. I did finish this piece and will post the photo on the bottom tomorrow morning when the light is better for photographs.
