Thursday 7 October 2010

Beginnings for a Show Called Rooted

This handsome oak grew outside my mother's little house in Dorset. Mother and I used to paint it, draw it and of course photograph it. We loved that tree. Do you see the crows sitting up there watching us right back?

Yesterday I drew it onto linen, and stitching has started on a cloth that will tell the story of immigration and having "roots" in two continents.


Whilst on the subject of trees....where the tops of trees meet the sky is fascinating to me. Here is a nearly naked ash and some tips of spruce.  I am still at the photographing and recording stage; no clue yet as to how I would interpret this fascination in stitch.
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10 comments:

  1. I have ALWAYS loved looking up to see where the trees meet the sky. I have a whole collection of pictures of trees. I laid down in the middle of a ring of trees on a summer day and took pictures looking up. I wish I was a better photographer so I could have done the moment justice.

    ;~) Debi

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  2. I find it enchanting that you call a tree handsome... - but did the crows really look? they´re too busy argueing to bother about what they might consider inferior two-leggers (at least that´s what I thought yesterday, watching them...)

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  3. Love the stitching start... and I am obsessed with where trees meet sky, too, I wonder about how that will unfold in stitch! Looking forward to following the process!

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  4. Penny, I have a fascination with naked trees. I just can't stop photographing them. You just can't beat that fabulous contrast between the branches and the sky. There's an old tree at Sybil's place that gets it's picture taken practically every time I visit (with and without leaves). I'll bet that you've taken it too!

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  5. BTW, your tree is going to be wonderful! Also, I'm hoping to be able to see and touch it in person.

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  6. hihi I thought your name was dutch so I'm looking forward to the european roots.

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  7. You're probably right, Ger, the crows have way more important things to do than watch us!

    It is interesting that so many of us seem to be drawn to that place where the trees touch the sky.

    Anne Marie...I miss going to Sybil's.

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  8. penny...thoughts to you thinking of your dad...

    and i am interested in your journey with
    the Roots cloth. will love to hear the story.
    when i was learning to draw, i learned that
    it was almost easier to draw the negative spaces
    between branches and twigs than to draw the
    substance of them. that lesson has stayed with
    me and applies to many things. i am looking
    forward to your bark...

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  9. I just posted about it being possible to call two places home. :) Really looking forward to seeing what you do with this.

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Thank you for taking the time to comment, your thoughts are most welcome.