Liza



Artist Statement:

When I was sitting in Dane Park there was a beautiful tree in front of me. It looked very weathered, and natural. This tree to me was a perfect representation of nature. The tangled branches were strong, yet delicate. The bark was there to protect the tree from harm, but it was still decorated with moss and leaves. This tree helped but me in the mind set of Thoreau. Once I started drawing the tree I realized that although it looked pretty close to the tree in front of me; the tree on my paper looked no where near as fluid. It was clear that something that took nature years to build could not be copied by my hand in a matter of minutes. This feeling reminded me of Thoreau and his experience in Walden. It was Thoreau's belief that nature in the 1800's was far more developed than the modern world. He thought that nature had it right, and that we humans were making a cheap copy of what had taken millions of years to create. We can not rush evolution, and development. I decided to quote Thoreau in my picture. In his quote, he says that if you follow the path of your choice you will eventually get there. This is what nature tells us to do. If we are patient, and go about our lives, then some day we will end up like that tree. We will be strong and beautiful and powerful.