June

2019

While painting Canopies, I discovered a curious relationship between two local tree breeds, the oak and the magnolia. While trees tend to respect the space of other trees, it was interesting to observe a frequent “snuggling” of the two.Magnolis nestled into the branches of oaks, as if they were lovers. Upon further observation, I delighted in the opposite traits of each. Everything about the two trees are different: the leaf shapes, growth patterns, root structures, and bark surface, yet they coexist in a beautiful marriage.

This body of work explores the magnolia in detail, as well as the relationship between the two species. Through this body of work in particular, I started to identify my own marriage to this relationship, picturing my husband as the strong oak and myself as the expressive and flowering magnolia. This personification laid the foundation for a visual language in my work moving forward.