Artist's thoughts

"This pencil sketch, of Silver Birch trees, was part of a project I had set myself to produce a drawing or painting a day, over twenty days. The theme is all trees! Why trees? Simply, because I love trees. Trees are structural – great to draw, transient, beautiful, dark, mysterious, textured, organic and affected. Every one of them is individual, like human beings, they have their own personality and own history. Trees feature in many aspects of human history and folklore and so there is often always a story associated to specific trees or species. In fact, we can’t live without them! My aim is to capture the spirit of specific trees which I have encountered on my many travels around the local countryside."
All the trees are local to me and I travel near and far to sketch them from life. You can visit them too, I’ve also included the location, have fun finding them!"
 

•     Original, only one available.
•     The second image includes the research I did for the specific tree, please see below for full text.
•     This drawing is mounted in a veneered wood effect frame.
•     All the sketches are original pieces
•     Size 38 (H) x 32.5 (W) cm inclusive of frame

“The Lady of the Woods”, Silver Birch - Other names Gaelic “Beithe”
Location: Cow Hollow, Clayhithe, UK
Native to the UK
Woods populated by this ghostly tree are always the more mysterious, to me. It’s probable that birch trees would have been one of the first species of trees to inhabit our landscape, after the glaciers had transformed the land. Witches and broomsticks have a strong connection to this tree; its twigs are traditionally used to make broomsticks, called “Besoms”. What we now know as Halloween, was once called the festival of “Samhain”, in the Celtic calendar, a festival which symbolised renewal and purification, the Birch played a pivotal role in the ceremonies. Birch wine can be made of the sap, if you tap into it during the spring.