“Evening Birch” Memories
Mar 13th, 2010 by andreaharris
I received this letter from a friend and have replied in the comment following it. — Andrea
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Dear Andrea,
On a table in my living room, your book, “In the Forest and Beyond”, is open to the page showing “Evening Birch”. I’m likely to keep it open there for a long while, because that painting has the power to take me to other places in my mind.
The light in the painting seems to be early evening, not yet full dark, and that reminds me of times when I was outside in nature as night was coming on.
That can be a magical time and place combination. Something about it feels exhilarating, maybe even a little scary. There is a hint of longing, but longing for what I don’t really know.
Specifically, one memory “Evening Birch” evokes for me is being on a golf course one evening in Carefree, Arizona, with a boy for whom I did childcare, a good friend. He was maybe seven years old at the time, and we were taking pictures of rabbits and rock formations.
He had his own camera, a plastic disposable model that took panoramic shots, and was tiptoeing up to rabbits who munched on grass, trying to get as many of them as he could in one frame.
The air from the day had grown cooler, probably in the low 70’s. Emerald expanses of grass stretched all around us and we were the only people in sight. There were giant boulders and rocky areas near the golf course that we also explored and photographed.
I felt completely engaged in what we were doing, wanting to completely use the light we still had, to squeeze every second out of the daylight, not only to make our photography work better, but simply because the experience was so enjoyable.
Even so, I was aware that once the dark came on, our time doing this together would have to end. We would have to get back to his family’s vacation home before it was truly dark.
In contrast, none of this exists in your painting of “Evening Birch” with its fading blue light. The painting’s ability to remind me of a different time and place is a testament to its artistic power.
I wonder what feelings and memories “Evening Birch” brings up for you, as the painter of the scene.
Kind regards,
Mary Brophy
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for your thought-provoking message about “Evening Birch.”
I have always been intrigued by form and how the effects of light can create illusions that challenge the imagination. “Evening Birch” represents that “moment” of stillness that occurs in early evening. In this instance, the trees are not foreboding– they are guardians and the Stonehenge of the the forest. The four trees in the foreground might possibly be having a conversation, summoning the viewer into the forest to experience stillness and peace.
Andrea
Although I can’t express myself quite as beautifully as Mary or see the things she & you see I couldn’t help but think the dark spots on the trunks remind me of women’s lips. And, I thought that to be appropriate since it falls under “Women’s History Month”.
It’s not just “lips”, they evoke many different feelings, to me and are very expressive. Some are smiling, sad, tense or exclamatory to name a few. I’m quite sure more people would view this is in completely different ways too. I sure look forward to seeing those views. Good job Andria!
Dear Carol,
What an incredible observation! Part of my infatuation with trees, especially Birch and Aspen, is due to how closely they resemble people. For instance, the overall form of tress can be suggestive of bodies. Sometime they are “leaning into” one another or their branches become entwined.
In this particular painting, the dark markings on the tree trunks certainly resemble lips. And because of the justaposition of the trees, it appears that the trees are perhaps whispering to one another.
I began painting nature after spending several years solely painting the figure, and I became intrigued with the relationship between nature and humanity. But that’s another topic…..
Andrea