It was a grey December day but filled with love for Galiano Island trees, and inspired by the experiences of George Washington Carver the man who spoke to flowers, I set out on my mission, to paint the Garry Oak tree. I’ve learned, through the work of organizations like Galiano’s Conservancy Association that less than 5% of BC’s Garry Oak communities remain, placing the Garry Oak and over 100 related species, in this ecosystem, on the endangered species list. I wanted to learn, from the Garry Oak itself, if it had a message I could share through my art. The tree I chose to have a conversation with is on the point at Dionisio Provincial Park, the northern tip of Galiano Island.
The twenty minute walk to the point gave me time to reflect on my life and how sometimes I too have felt endangered. It was winter, life seemed to be on hold, suspended and waiting for the rescue of spring. Would the tree be asleep, or would there still be a trickle of consciousness that I could somehow connect to?
When I reached the tree, I quieted myself and reached out a hand to hold onto the end of a branch overhanging the path. I was flooded, overwhelmed with sensation that surged through me. This is crazy I thought! This is happening! What is happening? I quieted myself and allowed the surge to flow through me so I might better understand. I then realized that it wasn’t crazy, it felt crazy, but it was the feeling of being wild. Quieting myself further, I sought to find what this feeling was, at the very core, and I recognized joy! The painting birthed within me, gifted to me from that Garry Oak tree, was “Wild Joy”.
I began painting, capturing the surging, pulsing joy in the atmosphere surrounding the tree with waves of free flowing blues and greens.
The Garry Oak was under painted with oranges to capture the inviting warmth I felt permeating its joy.
The island at Dionisio Point appears behind a Garry Oak branch, representing its connection to community.
Sandstone in the fore ground to depict erosion, the threat of extinction.
Finally, the Garry Oak comes to life, wild joy, tangling with and lifting up itself and its environment in a joyful dance!
When I reached the tree, I quieted myself and reached out a hand to hold onto the end of a branch overhanging the path. I was flooded, overwhelmed with sensation that surged through me. This is crazy I thought! This is happening! What is happening? I quieted myself and allowed the surge to flow through me so I might better understand. I then realized that it wasn’t crazy, it felt crazy, but it was the feeling of being wild. Quieting myself further, I sought to find what this feeling was, at the very core, and I recognized joy! The painting birthed within me, gifted to me from that Garry Oak tree, was “Wild Joy”.
