Karen Silve, Artist Talk - Beijing Trees - at the Susan Calloway Fine Art Gallery in Washington DC, May 2017.
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Traveling and the unique experiences it brings has become my greatest artistic inspiration. I went to Beijing for the first time in the Spring of 2016. I had never been to China before and wanted to experience it with fresh eyes.
A few days into the trip, I realized I was repeatedly inspired by the thoughtfully pruned trees. The blossoming cherry trees had their own vibrant beauty. However, it wasn’t just the cherry trees, but every tree throughout the city. From the parks, temples, gardens, and along the streets, all of the trees demanded respect. Many of them were just starting to leaf out which allowed me to see the structure of the trees. Such care was taken with each tree, and the older trees were well supported. In the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City, there was a very old tree with a huge steel frame around the trunk holding up the heavy branches. In the Botanical Gardens there was a 3,000 year old tree with it’s large branches supported by other trees which had been grown to hold them up.
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I'm dreaming of spring! After being in sunny Mexico a couple of weeks ago, I returned back to the grey skies of Portland. But there are little growths coming out of the ground that make me happy and excited for spring.
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The Forbidden City was such an impressive place. There were many gates, one after another, each with their own name and meaning. Walking through each gate I felt like I was entering into something more precious or secret. The last gate opened into the Imperial Gardens; a jewel at the end of the palace. There were so many unique old trees. I was taken by the respect and care given to these trees. Some of them were hundreds if not a thousand years old and had metal structures to hold up the large branches.
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Being a full time artists, I've had to adapt to the changing skills needed for this career. One of them is figuring out social media. I certainly haven't figured it out, but I started taking more photographs of my work in progress. I usually never go back to them, but today is different. I thought I would share images of this Beijing Trees painting in progress. I included some images below, as well as a gif (above) showing the images merged together. At this point in the process, I live with the painting on a clean wall (see below) while I decide on the final marks. I usually have about three paintings going on at a time.
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While going through images to find a good photo for good wishes this Holiday, I found this one. I originally turned it down because it was too spring-like. However, I came back to it. I took this photo in the arts district in Beijing this past spring.
Today, The shortest day of the year, is a time to spend with family, observe the changes in nature and reflect on what's happened in the past year. I am so fortunate to have such great relationships with my family and friends. You have all helped me so much over the past year. Nothing can replace that. Thank you!
Tomorrow is the beginning of each day becoming lighter and brighter. This is an opportunity for new personal growth. That is why this image spoke to me this morning. I like the grouping of trees, all different, yet work together in harmony. I love the color interactions with the vibrant spring green against the old red bricks. I love seeing the bricks though the vines in which an unknown amount of new growth will appear. The graffiti on the walls adds an element of young human vitality. All together, there is such life in this photo, from old to new; from still to active; from freedom to the unknown.
I wish everyone a peaceful holiday season, a beautiful winter solstice, and a flourishing new year.
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I had never been to China before, and the first thing that struck me were the hundreds of thoughtfully pruned trees everywhere. This has become the focus of my new body or work which will be exhibited in March, 2017 in Washington DC at the Susan Calloway Fine Arts Gallery. I am still creating on this body of work. You can get sneak peaks if you follow me on instagram or facebook. Or follow my blog here.
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