Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Trees

Pine Tree Study
Vine charcoal on Hahnemuhle paper

I started teaching my online class Drawing & Painting Trees this past Friday, so trees have been much on my mind. Here is one of my favorite poems . Enjoy.

The Trees

Do you think of them as decoration?

Think again.

Here are the maples, flashing.
And here are the oaks, holding on all winter
to their dry leaves.
And here are the pines, that will never fail,
until death, the instruction to be green.
And here are the willows, the first
to pronounce a new year.

May I invite you to revise your thoughts about them?
Oh, Lord, how we are all for invention and
advancement!
But, I think
it would do us good if we would think about
these brothers and sisters, quietly and deeply.

The trees, the trees, just holding on
to the old, holy ways.
Mary Oliver

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

i love your handling of trees and this is beautiful. I also like how you have cut off the top... it works!

Gregory Becker said...

I love your tree drawings. They are absolutely splendid.

loriann signori said...

This tree has such feeling: strong, yet gentle and slightly fragile.
Mary Oliver is fabulous, don't you think? Thanks for posting the poem too.

billspaintingmn said...

That poem is my comment to your drawing.

Lynne E. Windsor said...

Superb!

Deborah Paris said...

Thanks Rahina- I'm glad you like it!

Hi Gregory- thank you. I appreciate your comments!

Hi Loriann. Yes, Oliver is one of my favorite poets. She is a treasure!

What a nice thing to say Bill- thank you!

Hi Winnie- thanks! Hope you are doing ok.

Anonymous said...

This first drawing immediatley attracted me & I've been looking back through your blog.Too many to keep leaving comments on.They are so full of emotion- I especially love the moonlit paintings & the trees. I'll come back - maybe you wouldn't mind me adding you to my blogroll?

Caroline Simmill said...

Lovely drawing Deborah and the poem is nice too. It reminded me of my walk along the forest yesterday looking out for the birds flying over to nest down for the night as dusk was falling fast.
Thank you for sharing the drawing from your class with us.

Jala Pfaff said...

Love this tree and the drawing's composition.

Anonymous said...

what a delightful poem. i love it. makes me look out my window and ponder trees and their characteristics. thanks for posting this.

Anonymous said...

what a delightful poem. i love it. makes me look out my window and ponder trees and their characteristics. thanks for posting this.

Carole Buschmann said...

This is inspiring. I'm pulling out the vine charcoal and looking for some great paper.