“The Sentinel”. Painted September 2022. 48”x24”. Acrylic on Canvas.
About 50 feet above the shoreline, at the top of the bluff stands several stately Douglas Fir trees. One, standing particularly straight and tall, has great sweeping branches that reach out in all directions. This tree has been able to handle the full force of the South-Easterly winds that blow up the Malaspina Strait in the winter, so it has a real sense of permanence and stability. It also provides a spot for the eagles to roost while they survey the Salish Sea, looking for their next meal.
I find there is a real visual poetry in the arc and sweep of the branches of the Douglas Fir. On windless days, when the branches are motionless, the tree seems to give off an energy or vibration that I’ve tried to express in this painting. I’ve never thought myself much of a tree-hugger, but after spending several days obsessing over this tree while I painted it, that may have changed.