You Can’t Lie About Trees
“‘How do you paint a tree?’ The beginner always imagines that by some trick...a tree can be painted. ”
Redwoods—Sketchbook Study, Berkeley, CA, July 2021
How do I paint a tree?
Having found John F. Carlson and his Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting, I thought to apply my own understanding of what this very storied artist and teacher has advised. He says, and I paraphrase greatly here, that to paint a tree means that you have to be honest about that tree. Without honesty, the painter will not capture the tree the way the tree needs to be captured. In other words, don’t lie about trees. Carlson says, “Know your trees, their nature, their growth, their movement; understand that they are conscious living things, with tribulations and desires not wholly disassociated from your own.” He goes on to summon Emerson (ahhhh...that Transcendental “god”) and mentions Emerson’s name for trees: “rooted men.” As I turned to my sketchbook to practice “my trees,” suddenly I was gripped by the importance of trees as a subject. Shouldn’t my practice be to honor them? To as clearly and accurately as I am able, paint them. Yup.
What I learned in the Redwood Grove
I struck out for the Redwood Grove (located at the UC Berkeley’s Botanical Garden) to fulfill a painting assignment: paint a bride’s venue. I did not know that UCB’s Redwood Grove was the go-to place for nuptials. My sweet friend Sarah just recently got married there, and so I felt a double responsibility to get it right. I can’t let Carlson down, but more importantly I couldn’t let Sarah down. Upon entering, I did feel instantly lifted, almost transcendentally so, the same way one feels upon entering a cathedral or other non-western sacred space. I recognized the importance of these Redwoods and just like Carlson prompted, I saw the importance in knowing them. With each attempt, I noticed more and more, felt pushed to slowly draw their lean, their shadow, and their curling roots. I saw the slow rise of sunshine across grizzled trunks between the hours of 12 and 2 and the pockets of luminous light amongst their silhouetted bodies. I found myself drawn to certain individual trees and wanted to deepen my relationship with them (I found a band of 5 that were my favorites). I even found my preferred spot to paint them, having moved all around the Grove trying to learn them.
“In my own way, I have taken up Carlson’s vow—from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer..., I pledge to thee I will not lie about trees.”
The Redwood Grove, Berkeley, CA, July, 2021
Honesty is a value I don’t often associate with drawing and painting, but somehow this idea really resonates with me. Honesty goes with my need to slow down and look. It is a practice that I also try to demonstrate to folks who show up to my workshops to draw with me. Carlson said that if you are going to paint trees, paint them 100 times. Although I was not able to go 100 times (per Carlson’s mandate), my month-long study at the Redwood Grove helped me understand a little bit more about my own art-making process, highlighted how much I value my connection to nature, and showed me my starting place when setting out to paint a tree. In my own way, I have taken up Carlson’s vow—from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer..., I pledge to thee I will not lie about trees.