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Sycamore Tree Memory
30 × 24 inches | Acrylic on canvas | 2022
Sycamore Tree Memory was inspired by the ancient symbolism of the tree of life and by a tree that once stood at the heart of my childhood.
On my maternal grandparents’ land in the countryside of West Virginia, a great sycamore grew at the top of a hill. To my younger brothers and me, it felt larger than life—a place of play, shelter, and endless imagination. In autumn, its leaves gathered in enormous piles for us to leap into. We climbed its branches, swung from the tire suspended beneath them, and spent countless hours beneath its shade.
The tree also became a place of remembrance. Several of our beloved pets were laid to rest beneath its roots, making it not only a part of our happiest memories, but also a quiet keeper of our grief.
By the winter of 2017, the sycamore had grown too large and was eventually removed. Though the tree no longer stands on the hill, it remains deeply rooted in my memory. This painting is my tribute to the life that gathered around it and to the way certain places continue to hold us, even after they are gone.
Sycamore Tree Memory
30 × 24 inches | Acrylic on canvas | 2022
Sycamore Tree Memory was inspired by the ancient symbolism of the tree of life and by a tree that once stood at the heart of my childhood.
On my maternal grandparents’ land in the countryside of West Virginia, a great sycamore grew at the top of a hill. To my younger brothers and me, it felt larger than life—a place of play, shelter, and endless imagination. In autumn, its leaves gathered in enormous piles for us to leap into. We climbed its branches, swung from the tire suspended beneath them, and spent countless hours beneath its shade.
The tree also became a place of remembrance. Several of our beloved pets were laid to rest beneath its roots, making it not only a part of our happiest memories, but also a quiet keeper of our grief.
By the winter of 2017, the sycamore had grown too large and was eventually removed. Though the tree no longer stands on the hill, it remains deeply rooted in my memory. This painting is my tribute to the life that gathered around it and to the way certain places continue to hold us, even after they are gone.