This is a new painting that has been grabbing my eye here in the studio lately. It’s a 16″ by 20″ canvas that I am calling Reflecting for now. It will be included in my solo show, Native Voice, at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria which opens June 5.
The title comes from the light and form of the arc of the foreground that seems to be reflecting the light and form of the moon above. But it is also refers to the posture of the Red Tree as it seems to be gazing into the sky. For me, it has a feeling of great pondering, of both looking outward and inward.
Reflection is, after all, the act of turning one’s thought on itself to discover its true reality, like looking in the mirror and wondering who the hell that person is who is looking back at us. The Red Tree here is a reflection of the moon which itself reflects the greater power of the sun which, in a way, might reflect the ultimate power of the universe. And maybe that is what this is ultimately about– looking for traces of that universal power in our earthly self.
I will have to reflect on that for a bit…
You know what really gets me most about this one? The thin band of white, at the edge of the ground surrounding the tree, with the grass on it. It reminds me of those fruit slice candies that are really prevalent around Passover. I love a lot of things about this piece, and can’t wait to see it in person in June (Are you doing another talk? I may bring my son this time!), but it has the added dimension of also being delicious. 🙂
Thanks, Rebecca. My talk this year at the Principle is Sunday, September 20th. Hope you can make it!
On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 8:12 AM, Redtree Times wrote:
>
I very much like this one. The curve of the hill echoing the shape of the moon is lovely. It’s almost as though the moon is reflecting in the grass, rather than in the water.