What I Did On My Summer Vacation

The giant sequoias are... inde- scribable. But I'll try. They are majestic, strong, graceful, eternal, humbling, powerful, magical, and unbelievable. And that doesn't even begin to cover it. I've never been so moved by something simply by its very existence. These pictures don't do them justice, believe me.

This first photo is Steve and me in front of the General Sherman Tree. It is the largest tree in the world. (There are a few taller, but by sheer volume, it's the biggest.) It's thought to be approx. 2,200 years old and weighs 2.7 million pounds. Every year, it adds enough new wood to make a new, 60-foot tall tree measuring one foot in diameter. Steve and I are quite a distance from the trunk, so it doesn't look that big, but believe me, it's HUGE!

This is a view of General Sherman near its base, looking up. It's interesting because the very top is really scraggly and craggy sort of looking. The topmost branches almost look like "sky" roots, reaching up at various heights.

The most incredible and perhaps unexpected aspect of seeing these trees in person, however, was the spiritual impact they had on me. It's hard to put something so personal and so "gut-level" into words. All I can say is that their very existence (and subsistence in the face of fire, disease, etc.) imparts a sense of greatness. Like there MUST be something else at work here in this universe of ours. Being near them put my life in perspective. All of my little worries and concerns just seem so inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. It was like a return to some long-forgotten truth of mankind.

I'm failing here in my descriptions. I can see that. So I'll stop rambling. Maybe that's why I make art: to express what I cannot in words.


This is a photo of me in a grove of some of the smaller, more "average" giant sequoias. You can get a little more perspective on their size from this photo. But again, these pictures don't even begin to do them justice, I swear!


And lastly, here's me with one of the really small trees. Yup, I just had to hug it! Their bark is surprisingly soft. The texture is such that there are little fibers everywhere - not the kind that would produce splinters at all, but more of a long-haired cat type of feel. Sort of. It's hard to describe.

So what does this all have to do with art, you may ask? Plenty. I am so inspired by these giants that I plan to create a new series of work based on what I saw and what I felt while in Sequoia National Forest. I have worked with the tree motif in the past as a symbol for the circle of life. For me, trees also symbolize growth and the passage of time. I'm excited to explore these concepts further in a new body of work. I also have an idea for an assemblage that I want to do which will be just for me. I have to find just the right box to house it though. I feel an antique trip coming on!

Before I can begin all of these grand plans, however, I need to wrap up all of the stuff that's in progress. Returning from a long trip is always stressful for me because no matter how much running around I do before I leave, there's always twice as much work waiting for me when I return. (Alas, the art fairies don't slave on my behalf while I'm away!) But this time the shock is eased tremendously by my memories of the best birthday and birthday trip I've ever had in my life. Truly. And General Sherman tells me everything will work itself out in time. It always does...