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I laughed when my artist friend recently asked me what my next series will be about. My response was "I think I'm going to keep heading down this tree canopy series a little longer. I'm just not ready to move on yet." My friend responded, "How long have you been doing the tree canopies again?" I replied, "It will be two years in August," remembering that I started them right before Hurricane Florence.
When I first started the series, it was more a natural reflection of my childhood on Live Oak Parkway, which, as you can guess, has a gorgeous (albeit a bit battered) tree canopy. I painted a few looking in various directions from under a canopy. Then Hurricane Florence hit, and I was confident the tree canopies that I was so fond of had survived. Live Oaks are known for being particularly hurricane resistant, weathering most any storm with ease.
I started thinking about the shelter under the canopy, the protection it provided, and I started looking at the light at the end of the tunnel. I realized that the tree canopy series was evolving into paintings that give hope and encourage the viewer to seek the light at the end of the tunnel.
These paintings have served to provide hope during tough times.
My canopy series has an uplifting message that is critical to cling to during this time: we may be in the shadows now, but the hope of Heaven is clear and bright. Look for it in the distance and focus on it!
