Introduction
The Tree Museum is a series of paintings and prints I began making in 2024.
The people I paint are archetypes, actors in a tableau characterising wealth and power.
Prints
Taking inspiration from Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”, this digital print was the first of a series of images featuring a room dedicated to trees. The song speaks of a lost love as well as the damage humans make to the environment. Since I have made paintings about both subjects, I decided to combine these aspects within a single image(s).
I completed four digital prints before moving on to a painting.
Painting
I have changed this painting a number of times since work began in 2024. Its title has also varied.
In a room dedicated to trees, a couple are divided by a sculpture of a dead tree. Their posture also indicates a division. He is entirely focused on his phone, while she stares ahead, challenging the viewer to read her mind. So this painting is a metaphor for a relationship, not only between two people, but also between them and their environment.
Pictorial Dynamics
There are formal considerations at play. A sense of symmetry is reinforced by the legs slanting away from the centre, which is dominated by the strong vertical of the tree. There is a connection between the figures and the paintings, which are stylistically different.
The chairs also differ. One is rectilinear while the other is curved. The man sits lower than the woman. Again, these stylistic devices suggest a division.
Gallery of Works
