Full Circle
Fifteen years ago my art professor told me "if you're having trouble coming up with an idea, think about something that interests you, research it and from there ideas will come." This strategy proved to be true for me. I've always been attracted to Birch trees but felt unfulfilled when just drawing or painting trees. So I did a little research. One thing I learned that immediately stood out was that long ago Birch bark was often removed and used as a surface for writing. I found irony in this because Birch bark always reminded me of newspaper due to its white background and randomly scattered black markings. I discovered this little known fact to be the catalyst I was looking for to help me create. Somehow I wanted to recreate that beautiful image I was so attracted to while making that historical connection. I kept returning to the newspaper image when it finally came to me: What better and unique way to create the image than to use the newspaper, the ultimate surface for writing. And so began my 13 year obsession with Birch trees.
My trees have evolved over the last few years, taking the viewer from a dark linear forest to a variety of viewpoints , seasons and times of day. These are not landscape paintings, they are mixed media collages about the trees and my relationship with them. I hope you will enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoy creating them.
Sincerely,
Kim
