Tree Speech
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March 30 - May 12, 2023
About the Show
Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life. - Hermann Hesse
Trees are ancient. They evolved from the plants that formed the first life on land over 350 million years ago. Over three trillion trees are alive today, dwarfing the number of humans on the planet. And their importance to other life on land cannot be overstated. Our forests and jungles are the lungs of the planet, absorbing carbon dioxide while releasing oxygen. Trees provide us food, fuel, and shelter. Dozens of medicinal drugs are derived from their bark, including cancer medications. The tree form is not simply terrestrial; their branching form is universal, representing the optimal flow of energy, and can be seen repeated everywhere in the natural world, including at the largest scales of the universe.
Trees have long been a source of artistic inspiration as well as a resource for producing artmaking materials (wood, paper, turpentine, etc.) In fact, in bonsai and topiary, trees themselves serve as a living, organic medium. In Tree Speech, sixteen artists pay tribute and give voice to these wondrous, aesthetically pleasing and ecologically crucial organisms. Not so much as component parts of a forest or landscape, but with a focus on the unique presence and personality of individual trees, each with a personal history inscribed in the poesy of its form.
Who Will Speak for the Trees?
Judith Allen Efstathiou, Chris Beneman, Stephen Burt, Victoria Elbroch, Alan Fishman, Eileen Gillespie, Tom Hall, Conley Harris, Maret Hensick, Joanna Logue, Karen Olson, Tom Paiement, Whitney River, Lesia Sochor, Neil Welliver, David Wilson, and Jeff Woodbury
Preview the Exhibition
(CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE; CURSOR OVER ENLARGED IMAGE FOR DETAILS)
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Chris Beneman, Forest Dream 1
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Chris Beneman, Forest Dream 2
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
Maret Hensick, In the Deep Woods
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Tom Hall, The King's Pine I (2022)
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
Tom Hall, The King's Pine II (2022)
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Tom Paiement, Backyard Pine
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
Joanna Logue, Wooded Pool (2023)
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Joanna Logue, Pick Up Sticks Pond (2023)
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David Wilson, Far Cove (2022)
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David Wilson, Spell (2022)
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David Wilson, Sentinel (2022)
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David Wilson, Cove (2022)
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Victoria Elbroch, Continuum
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
Victoria Elbroch, Transience
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Victoria Elbroch, Metamorphosis
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
Judith Allen-Efstathiou, Old Orchard Beach Pine (2020)
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Judith Allen-Efstathiou, Rockland Birch 1 (2022)
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Judith Allen-Efstathiou, Prouts Neck Pine (2018)
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Judith Allen-Efstathiou, White Pine Branches (2020)
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
Judith Allen-Efstathiou, White Pine (2022)
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Whitney River, Beech Leaves 2 (2022)
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Whitney River, Beech Leaves 3 (2022)
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Whitney River, Beech Leaves 4 (2022)
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Neil Welliver, Forest Study
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Neil Welliver, Trees Drawing
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Eileen Gillespie, Twist (2022)
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
Eileen Gillespie, Pray (2022)
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Eileen Gillespie, Oak (2022)
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Eileen Gillespie, Tangle (2022)
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Lesia Sochor, Scroll (2020)
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Lesia Sochor, Relic (2022)
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Lesia Sochor, Birch Bark I (2021)
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
Lesia Sochor, Birch Bark II (2021)
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
Lesia Sochor, Birch Bowl (Large)
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Conley Harris, Forest Pond (2022)
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Conley Harris, Tall Trees at Owls Head (2022)
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Lesia Sochor, Birch Mother
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Lesia Sochor, Birch Bowl (Small)
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Stephen Burt, Moonlit Churchyard- Ballycastle, Ireland (2015)
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Stephen Burt, Highland Holly- Ballycastle, Ireland (2015)
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
Stephen Burt, Live Oak, Temecula, CA (2015)
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Alan Fishman, Autumn Gesture (1998)
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Alan Fishman, Early May (2017)
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Alan Fishman, Metamorphosis (2015)
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Karen Olson, Wind River (2021)
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Karen Olson, Resilience (2021)
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Karen Olson, Interconnected (2021)
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Jeff Woodbury, Beetlerunes 08 (2015)
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Jeff Woodbury, Demo log and rubbing
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Jeff Woodbury, Beetlerunes Roll (2015)
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Jeff Woodbury, Beetlerunes 04 (2013)
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Jeff Woodbury, Beetlerunes 05 (2013)
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Jeff Woodbury, Beetlerunes 09 (2013)
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Jeff Woodbury, Beetlerunes 12 (2013)
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Jeff Woodbury, Untitled (Branch Drawing Layers 01) (2015)
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Jeff Woodbury, Untitled (Branch Drawing Layers 02) (2015)
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Jeff Woodbury, Untitled (Branch Drawing Layers 03) (2015)
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Jeff Woodbury, Branch Map (2013)