Golden Wood (Sells Park, Athens, Ohio)

This piece is from 2014, but it seemed fitting to write about it now, since I just went back to make some adjustments and since my last blog post was also about trees. There were some aspects of this painting I wasn't quite satisfied with before, and I went back to it and touched it up. I'm much more satisfied with it now. I felt very drawn to this grouping of three trees ever since I first laid eyes on them. The roots of the center tree are particularly fascinating, but the trees as a trio are also very striking for their shapes and the pair of two light, slim trees, with the darker somewhat damaged one. I used to love to go to this trail in the fall and sit to listen to the wind in the leaves and watch them fall. Being among trees like this is spiritual experience for me. As with Ellis Hall Maples, I conceive of this painting as a tree portrait and each tree as a unique individual.