The Perennial Tree

Today's painting theme is the perennial tree, a symbol of sturdiness, uprightness, truly hoisting the sky and buttressing the earth, besides conjuring up images of longevity and splendor.

Trees: the forest constituents

The denizens of the forest kingdom are the subjects of today, chinese brush painting style.

The Perennials in Nature and Paintings: Trees

Trees have featured prominently in brush painting. For example, the knotty Pine in chinese brush painting, sometimes with its convoluted trunks seemingly emanating from rock cliffs.

So the main theme in my Arts class last Friday (Dec 14, 2007) was the good old tree. And as usual, we started with trees in different stands, different shapes, different canopies. And then we combine these with the elements learned earlier (mountains and rocks) to compose a scenery of nature, much like an ensemble of different musicians playing a symphony: a cacaphony falling in steps to become a melody, harmony par excellence. Of course I still have a long way to go to reach that so-called resonant state where the sum rises above its parts. But incrementally, with perseverance, I will continue to work on it, not so much caring for the end but rather enjoying every bit along the way.

The elemental trees.
More of the same (from a leafy to a defoliated state).

And a scenery where it all comes together, at its rudimentary form.