What you see ...

I have a friend named Tom, who does absolutely beautiful carvings of birds and waterfowl.  He is meticulous... every feather matters, as does the correct colours from beak to feet.  I have asked Tom a couple times if he would carve me a duck to paint.... he is quite reluctant as he is aware of my sense of colour and style of work.  It is kind of a standing joke between us.  

On occasion, people have looked at my work and asked what kind of tree is that, or what kind of flower.  I think Tom has also pointed out that he can't quite figure out my birds.  This is understandable as he has studied birds, and has actually written a field guide ... so accuracy is pretty important to him.

So i started to think about why I paint the way I do, and how i view the world..
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I think that my trees are a celebration of trees in general, a homage to bark, and bark patterns and patterns in general .... also a celebration of the fact that there are trees.  The same goes for my flowers, landscapes... pretty much anything that goes into my work.  

As I am painting... (especially trees)... my mind swirls and wonders what these trees have seen... what is their history, what have they endured.  I wonder about emotions. 

I think i've said before that painting is an experience, and that the process of creating a piece is spiritual for me.  If I had to start thinking about answering the question:  

What do you paint?

 I guess my best answer would be .... I paint how I see .... not what I see.  

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