Opening Reception: Saturday, December 3, 4:00 - 7:00 pm
Meet the Artist: Sunday, January 8, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Persimmon Tree, Very Pretty 16” x 20” Watercolor on clayboard, $695
In Some Thoughts about Trees, Patricia Williams presents a series of compelling portraits of trees she has known and loved, interspersed with quotes about trees from sources as diverse as Ronald Reagan and Anton Chekov. The exhibition asks viewers to consider their personal views about trees: some admire trees for their beauty and utility, while others regard them as impediments to the perfect view or land use. Through this series of original paintings, Some Thoughts about Trees advocates for trees as critical to the world’s well-being.
The basic images Williams uses are simple outlines of tree shapes—but just as trees are supported by unseen root and vascular systems, these basic shapes are supported by several layers of watercolor pencil drawing, as well as stamping using actual leaves, often from the tree depicted.
Williams began the series during the pandemic, which she passed living among the trees surrounding her family’s mountain cabin. “I saw and sketched the same trees every day and in every season. I tried to see them in different ways and understand their personalities,” she says. “The more time I spent with them, the more I wanted to preserve them in some way, hence this series. I think of the trees as my collaborators in this series,” she says, “or maybe it is that I was their instrument of expression.”
Note: Touchstone Gallery will be closed December 23-January 4.