Grove

5/20/2014

I always liked reading about the Druids in Scotland. I took a trip to Scotland and drove all around from Glasgow to Inverness. The country side was amazing and I think I found myself stopping every few miles, er kilometers, to look at something. There were two stand outs. Three stand outs. One was a castle in the middle of a small lake that looked abandoned. It was magical and resembled some Pixar idea of an enchanted castle. Another was a rock cairn that was subtle, but just cool as shit. Just knowing how old it must have been was inspiring to me. And third was the Loch Ness monster as I almost hit as it froze on the road when it saw my headlights... Or maybe that was a squirrel? This was 20 some years ago so who knows.

The Druids had things called sacred groves. For some reason they would pick a bunch of trees that were growing on the top of a hill or some place that seemed significant for whatever reason and designate them a "sacred grove". Maybe it was for privacy so they could take a leak? I don't know. But pictures I've seen of them really do have some significance in a visual way. When I drive through Pennsylvania on route 80 I find the trees growing on top of a hill or mountain significant because the are surrounded by farmland. There is a certain intention for them to be there yet they still seem to naturally be there.
This painting for me is about looking internally to try and find that image that resonates with the part of my brain that wants to connect with nature or the universe in some way that you can't really put words to. And really, that is what a lot of my images are exploring.
Here is the evolution of the painting so far.