People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.
–St. Augustine
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This is a new painting, a 12″ by 36″ canvas that is titled Treasure Island. For me, this has nothing to do with the Robert Louis Stevenson book of the same title with Long John Silver and his pirate crew. Oh, there’s an element of treasure in this piece, from the golden tones of the crown of the central figure of the island tree to the rich and regal color of the sky.
But what I see in this piece is really more about introspection and the discovery of an inner wealth. It’s a theme I often see in my work, this idea of finding what we are and are not , celebrating those qualities we possess rather than lamenting our deficiencies. This evaluation of self creates a sovereign realm within us, one that is a safe haven from the intrusion of the outer world, one that lets our strengths flower and grow in an unfettered way.
That sounds like a lot of mumbo-jumbo and maybe it is. But I do see this as a painting that speaks about inner strength and celebrating what we are on our own terms. About controlling those things we value in ourselves and not letting others define us. We are all small islands containing all different sorts of wealth, if only we would take the time to look. Look inward then let your own wealth shine outward, whatever it might be.
Redtree Times 
Beautifully said with paint and words.
Thank you, Maura.
The tree is really glowing here!
It does have a golden glow about it,doesn’t it?
The trunk of the red tree seems spindly. Are there scratches on the canvas or is that photographic artifact? Love the white houses with red roofs.
According to John Donne, no man is an island.
http://www.famousliteraryworks.com/donne_for_whom_the_bell_tolls.htm
See also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25RAkXpQwnA, at about 6:21
I think what you are seeing are ridges on the surface from the underlying texture. It is a more spindly tree than some of my trees but I sometimes like that thinner trunk in that it represents a deceptive strength. I am amazed at the resilience of some trees that seem so delicate yet can endure wind and snow with ease.
Oop. Make that 6:03. My favorite album of theirs.
I have always liked those words from Donne.
He’s a peninsula…
When’s the last time someone said your work brought to mind Victorian art? This one did – because of the dimensions. When I saw 12″ x 36″, the first thing that came to mind was the Victorian “yard long” – those mostly floral, sometimes quite lovely bits of fashionable art that even popped up in my grandmother’s house.
There’s something about longer, narrow paintings I like. I have no idea what it is, but I lived with a couple of yard longs for a while until the flowers became terminally boring. Nice to see the shape pop up with a more contemporary feel – and a good bit more creativity in subject matter!
I had never heard of the Victorian “yard long” before but am really drawn to the shape. There’s something liberating about composing in the more panoramic dimensions of this shape.
Art sometimes is different for each person. Sometimes I see beautiful paintings in about everything around me. Your posting reminds me of a photograph I recently posted of the beach on Treasure Island:http://marygilmartin.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/photography-something-new-about-writing/