Tree branching out
When the creative process branches out – to see another view, then returns, more attuned to our core again, we are changed.
I love trees
There’s just something - majestic, magical, mysterious - that keeps me observing and curious about any tree I’ve gotten close enough to.
It may have started with tree bark, with all the textures, personalities, and variety that I’d notice on trail hikes.
And then leaves, with all their shapes and colors and textures, and how they transition over the seasons.
And then there are tree branches, which are way more visible and apparent in the winter season like now.
And sticks - they’re everywhere, all the time, and impressive in their array. (And did you know that sticks are what fall to the ground while twigs are part of a tree that become branches?).
Then there are blossoms that show up in one season and pods and buds in another.
Tree branches
I recently posted these three images on Instagram. When I look up against a clear sky, they become nature’s mark-making patterns. Some look like dramatic scribbling scenes, while others are minimalist expressions on a canvas. The black and white, the lines, the mood – the inspiration was all there. It was nature’s own mark-making and I wanted to draw them.
So I chose one of the photographs to work from – tree branches covered in ice. This was taken outside the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at Potomac Yards in Alexandria.
The process was not what I anticipated, however. Instead of a linear path, from photograph to a series of mark making translations, I deviated and went off on a big tangent. Or, was branching out.
Branching out
Actually, I didn’t know that’s where I was headed. I was just trying to determine what materials to use and do a little warm up practice.
First, I chose a stick in ink. It was stiff like a nib pen and wasn’t making the kind of marks I was seeking.
Next, I chose an old Japanese brush. I’ve had it for decades and it never failed me. When I looked at it, the bristles were scratchy and not very clean. It took awhile for the brush to wake up, as it seemed tired and unwilling at first. But then it got its groove back and we had fun.
Finally I tried water soluble graphite. It was so smooth, like I was skating across the page making loops and curls and ringlets (and maybe I was missing my wavy hair which tends to go flat in the winter)!
Maybe that deviation was the other side of things, the wavy-curly instead of the straight, the unknown instead of the known, the wild instead of the tamed, the out of control instead of in control.
I was definitely branching out. It didn’t matter if the mark-making looked far away from the photograph of the tree branches in ice. Materials like ink, tools, paper, and water do their own thing together, and my hand played along without much interfering. Interestingly, another part of me felt somewhat disconnected from the whole process.
I was also curious to go back to where I started, now that I was brave from all that branching out. So I picked up a litho crayon and followed the soft outline I had made on the page and began to draw. Something felt connected – how I held the litho crayon, how it moved and searched across the page, how I was attuned to its discovery of making marks. I liked the result.
Tree wisdom
There are so many tangents in life, many places to go off and discover. There, we can feel a different rhythm, the wild breeze and view from up high. We are changed. Then to come back from time to time, to return to our core, and attune to the grounding in our roots. We are changed.
To see a video of this whole process, click on the video above or the link here: Tree branching out
“Tree branching out” was originally published as an exclusive post to my Patreon supporters in February 2021. Now it’s public and available to you, too!
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A big shout out to my wonderful supporters! Thank you, each of you, for supporting my ongoing creative work – Julie B, Sharmila K, Sushmita M, Kori J, Marga F, Kara B, Kristina L, Laura C, Louise B, Beck C, Skip M, Chris Z, and Richie M. It means so much and I am grateful. I think of you as create these posts, what I write about and share, and I hope that it offers you insight and inspiration along the way.