So, I have to know. How are you celebrating National Love a Tree Day today? I know, I know, you thought I was going to write about National Sea Monkey Day*, which shares this day with the trees, but alas! The art world is sorely lacking when it comes to sea monkeys. But trees? Ohmygoodness, artists looooooove to paint trees! And I love them for it. Here are a few of my favorite tree paintings:
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| To be Baby Theo and have an authentic Van Gogh hanging in my room! |
Van Gogh was a beautiful artreest. He painted tons of trees, but Almond Blossom is my favorite. He painted it for his nephew and namesake. Can’t you just see this hanging in a baby’s nursery? It’s so sweet and hopeful. In fact, most of Van Gogh’s trees have the same soothing feel. It’s hard to believe his mind was in such turmoil as he painted them.
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| Piet Mondrian: all about the funk. |
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I would not have guessed Piet Mondrian painted this! I only knew him for his funky cubes. Don’t you love when an artist surprises you with a wider range of talent than you knew they had? This tree looks like it wants to be in a spooky forest, with its foreboding branches, but Mondrian was like, “Nope! I’m giving you a jazzy red trunk and psychedelic blue background.” Boom. Not spooky anymore!
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| Poplars on the Bank of the Epte (1892): it has curves in all the right places. |
How could we possibly talk trees without touching on Monet’s poplars? This is my favorite of all his tree paintings, I think. The curve of that treeline? I swoon. He painted these poplars at least eleven times. They must have left quite an “Impression.”
In celebration of National Love a Tree Day, I took an extra moment to admire the trees in my own yard. Here they are this morning:
We purchased those pines for a quarter each when they were just inches tall, and now they’re taller than me! If you squint, you can see our sugar maples behind them in white tubes to protect them from the very hungry deer that visit our field. Jim spends hours carrying buckets of water out to them in the summer, and his hard work is starting to pay off as we can see the tops of them starting to peek out of the tubes!
Happy May 16th, friends! I’m going to celebrate “Love a Tree Day” with a glass of wine. But don’t worry, I won’t get trunk.
* I feel like you don’t believe me about Sea Monkey Day, so here is my source: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/
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