Magnolia

Magnolia – Work in progress

I began this piece in March 2023, as part of my MFA studio work. I chose for my subject the Magnolia tree outside my kitchen window, a project to ground me to the intimate space of my own back yard. This Magnolia Tree and I are old friends. I’ve watched it grow since I moved here in 1990 and began to build my home. It is beautiful at every time of year, but I especially love its look in early spring, when the tree still has its winter barebones look, as its fuzzy buds begin to swell. They look like pussy willows. The tree is beautiful in late afternoon, backlit by the setting sun though the woods beyond.

I love working on paper, with its austere tactility. For this piece I’ve committed to draw every bud and branch. Sometimes I question my sanity, taking on this level of detail. But I love the depth that’s emerging. The intense focus this piece requires, while devoting patient “visual listening” to all the complexity of the tree’s tangles of buds, is teaching me about connectedness, interrelationships, about being part of a much larger whole. The different elements of the piece have their own personalities. All the tiny areas that look like abstract paintings.

I’m exploring a lot of different mediums here: graphite, colored pencil, fineline permanent art marker. I’m using vine charcoal with smudge sticks, watercolor, and acrylic washes to make areas of “tonepaper” where I can then draw light over dark. This also gives me deep shadows, and the rich contrast I love.