I’m delighted to be part of the CPAWS fundraiser, Journey Through the Dumoine River. During the summer of 2022, I participated in CPAWS Art Retreat. It was located in the Dumoine River watershed area; the Dumoine River is one of the last ‘wild’ rivers in southern Ontario. https://cpaws-ov-vo.org
I have donated two paintings to CPAWS.
I am a Tree, 2022 oil on wood panel, 23 x 30 cm
The impetus for the painting, I am a Tree, came from imagining I was one of the trees rising up from Lac Penniseault where we camped during the CPAWS DRAW Art Retreat. I wanted to feel all that the trees were: the rich humus at my roots, the rise of the sun, the surround of air and brush of wind. I also thought of the author Richard Powers’ assertion in his novel, The Overstory, that trees and humans share a common ancestor, as well, a quarter of their genes.
I am a Tree (2), 2022 oil on wood panel, 25 x 30 cm
Similar to my painting, I am a Tree, the impetus came from imagining I was one of the trees rising up from Lac Penniseault. Although we were off the grid whilst at the CPAWS Art Retreat, we relied on a generator to power up our phones (which we were using primarily to take photographs). I am a Tree (2) considers the ecosystem of a tree in relation to humans: one that may include a tree being used as a support for hydro wires.