Mother Tree Holds the Stories
Before I knew of Suzanne Simard’s work, I was calling this series by the name Mother Tree Holds the Stories. The idea of Mother Tree came through a very small painting I did, in which a tree emerged as a woman walking, a crown of leaves and branches upon her head, and I knew her name was Mother Tree.
It has been one of my greatest joys to come across others who call tree Mother, and who describe Mother Tree in myriad ways.
This is a collection of reverence, love, and reparation to the trees.
What began as rings and trunks is slowly expanding into a fascination with roots and seeds, and further expanding into a sense of social responsibility for environmental justice, to protect the trees and all who call them home. We are an innovative species. Surely if the birds and mammals, large and small, know how to live in and among trees in harmony, so can humans. I am hopeful looking to modern architecture in Sweden, where homes have been built on stilts, off the forest floor, to allow roots to thrive and to minimize the lives of flora and fauna taken in the process of building human home.
May we all pause to thank and to love a tree while we are alive.
Email me at alana@ofloveandlight.org to inquire about original paintings and commissions, or shop licensed archival prints anytime through Papernoten.
Large Rings: Longevity and the Memory of Trees
Small Rings: Biodiversity
Medium Rings: Human Memory
Trunks and Bark
About the Series
Mother Tree Holds the Stories is an ongoing series, one that will likely last a lifetime.
The drawings and paintings that I create in this series do not come with a story constructed by me.
They come instead with questions for you to unravel.
The paintings of rings and radials ask: What tales do the rings hold, as you run your fingers along their lines? What stories do the scars have to tell?
The paintings of bark may speak of protection, roots of depth, crowns of reaching and of growth, forests of community. Or they may speak of something entirely different.
As I create them, I listen for their whispers. I invite their sovereign life story.
Each has reveals to me a small something. But they will tell the most to the person who welcomes them into their home.
The images on this page represent a selection of the series. Artwork ranges in size from 4×4 inches up to 24×24 inches, and are created with a variety of mixed media techniques on paper, panels, and reclaimed plywood.
Click on each individual piece to see it alone in lightbox.
Prices begin at $150-$400 for 4×4 inch original artwork and range up to $3800-$4200 for the largest pieces, which are durable, UV protected, and will last a lifetime on display.
Package discounts available for purchase of three or more small pieces to form your own collection. If you would like to frame them, I recommend a floating frame or an acrylic block. They also look beautiful displayed as-is on an altar, desk, or shelf. Some people I know have even taken their small paintings out into the world with them, on hikes and nature walks, to connect even more deeply with the world around.
Inquire about commissions or pieces available for sale at alana@ofloveandlight.org. (Shop coming soon.)