Isle of Man Nature Journal

View of trees in the distance on a ridge, framed by trees lining a narrow road. Some of the trees are in blossom.

Finding Inspiration in the Trees

—

by

Emma Butler
in ,

Drawing trees has been a love of mine since my mum first showed me how to represent their dividing branches. There’s something in the ever decreasing, repeating pattern of their boughs that comforts me as I draw. Add to that, the colours of the leaves and the beautiful textures of the bark, moss and lichen and it’s little wonder they’re an inspiration for so many. As it’s National Tree Week, I’ll take a look at how the beauty of local trees has influenced my work.

View of trees in the distance on a ridge, framed by trees lining a narrow road. Some of the trees are in blossom.
View of the mountains from a road in Lezayre.

There are some very striking trees near the Millennium Way at the top of Sky Hill. I feel very triumphant each time I reach them on a walk, as I know I’ve reached the top of my uphill climb. As I can see them from my house, I look at them each day and know I’m near home when I can see them. They give me comfort and act as a landmark. It’s amazing how even distantly viewed trees can have such an effect and no wonder it causes such upset when they are suddenly removed from view, either deliberately or by the wind.

Four pine trees next to a dead tree on heath land. A sheep stands at the foot of the dead tree.
Trees near the Millennium Way near Sky Hill, Ramsey.
A grey ink sketch of a sheep at the foot of a tree. only the lower trunk of the tree is visible in the sketch.
A sketch of the above photo.

The Isle of Man Nature Journal logo was designed around an image of a tree. The mirroring of the roots underground (in this case represented by the leaves of a journal) to the branches above, has a wonderful symmetry and is a characteristic explored by many artists in the past and perhaps, most notably features in the Celtic tree of life.

IOMNJ logo. A tree with an open book forming the roots. The words Isle of Man Nature Journal are across the middle of the trunk. The logo is a muted green colour.
A stylised tree with interlocked branches. The roots are in interlocking Celtic knot arrangements.
The Celtic tree of life.
A courtyard of old stone buildings with small silver birch trees in the foreground and several larger trees behind the buildings. A gravel drive sweeps to the right with a lawn on the left. It's a sunny day and the sky is blue.
The view from my studio at Grenaby.

Grenaby Artist Studios, where I’m lucky enough to have a space, was created by Simon and Kate Maddrell. The view from my door takes in a number of beautiful trees. Not surprising as Simon Maddrell was a founder member and former chairman of the Isle of Man Woodland Trust. The ‘pod’ I create in is a cosy wooden structure that really helps me feel connected to the countryside around me.

A wooden hut with curved sides and open double doors at the front..
The ‘Pod’ studio at Grenaby.

Glorious walks in the glens of the Isle of Man always leave me in awe of the splendour of trees. Ballaglass Glen is a particular favourite as it’s so shaded and the light filtering through the trees on a sunny day, gives a wonderful range of effects.

A small river cuts through rocks in a woodland. Green light filters through the trees.
Ballaglass Glen
A watercolour and ink sketch of a river running through rocks in a woodland. The colours used are predominantly green .
A watercolour and ink sketch of the river in Ballaglass Glen.

The textures of lichen and moss on trees has always fascinated me. Once I found out that lichen was a living association between fungus and either algae or cyanobacteria, I was hooked for life! When walking in Laxey Glen I picked up a lichen and moss covered twig and was astounded by the colours and complexity of the forms. I tried to convey this in my acrylic gouache painting below.

A twig with lichen and moss covering it, often entwined.
A graphite pencil drawing of one of the associations of moss and lichen in the above photo.
A painting of the lichen and moss on a twig in the above photo.
Shield Lichen and Moss, acrylic gouache on smooth panel.

I don’t think it’s possible to be bored with a pencil, paper and a couple of trees to sketch. Zoom in and capture the bark, or zoom out and convey the tree’s wider form. Whatever you focus on it seems to be worth it.

Two sketches of trees in coloured pencil.
A rough sketch of a tree growing from a wall in red water soluble pencil.
A rough sketch of a tree growing from a wall in coloured water soluble pencil.
A copper beech tree with its distinctive red leaves and silver trunk with bright green ivy growing up part of the trunk.
A coloured pencil and water soluble ink sketch of a copper beech tree with its distinctive red leaves and silver trunk with bright green ivy growing up part of the trunk.
A coloured pencil sketch of a copper beech tree with its distinctive red leaves and silver trunk with bright green ivy growing up part of the trunk.
A close-up of the rough texture of bark on a tree trunk.
A close-up of a lichen covered branch.
Varying textures of moss on wall, smooth tree trunks and dry leaves on the ground.
Mossy trees
Beech tree with orange-brown leaves overhangs river.
Mature trees with ivy covering trunks.

Currently, trees are making their way into my work in more expressive ways. I’m enjoying the less controlled way of working with these textured watercolour paintings. They allow me to enjoy the form of trees and the magical fluidity of watercolour without worrying about exact representations.

A watercolour painting of a stag in a forest.
A watercolour painting of a crow flying through woods.
A watercolour painting of a hare sitting up in a woodland scene. The painting is quite abstract and the hare is in silhouette.

With this week being National Tree Week the Isle of Man Arts Council have been featuring some of the Isle of Man artists that use trees in their work. They have many artists featured on their Facebook profile, including the wonderfully talented Graham Hall of Artforms from Nature, who is also based at Grenaby Studios.

I’m sure trees will continue to make their way into my work, and into the Isle of Man Nature Journal, in more or less detailed ways in the future. If trees inspire you too, why not paint or draw them and send us a photo of your work for inclusion on the Isle of Man Nature Journal Map? You could also share your work to social media with the hashtag #nationaltreeweek. If you’d like to see more of my work, come along to the Grenaby Studios open day on the 10th of December. We’ll be open from 10am until 4pm and would love to see you!

Emma

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *