Climate Conversations Installation Mock-up

Climate Conversations Installation Art of Memory Tree

The installation features art banners, hanging in a public space, with large-scale images of tree drawings and other botanical-themed art. The viewer will experience a walk-through physical encounter with the banners, which could hang at torso level, depending on the location. Our goal is to invoke in our viewers personal memories of trees and the impact trees have had in their lives, such as a childhood memory, or a cherished tree. The banners will also include text of memories gathered from the public at previous installations. This proposed installation for CIAF is part of an ongoing, interactive project, also called ‘Climate Conversations’, that uses art and natural artifacts to collect and document viewers’ memories of trees. Please see the ‘Details of our creative practice’ section below for more information. 

Our goal is to collect over 1,000 memories in 2023.

We plan to hang multiple (8-10) six-foot high, translucent banners, in a staggered formation to allow the public to mingle among them. We’ve provided a mock-up of the banners hanging in the trellis-covered walkway in Romare Bearden Park, as an example. Other locations would work as well, with stand-and-pipe hanging structures. The synthetic fiber, likely from Rose Brand, is strong and lightweight, so they will move in a breeze, but allow for intense public interaction.

• Tree drawings on the banners are by fine artist Wil Bosbyshell

• Botanical-themed fiber art created by fiber artist Maura Bosbyshell

• Database and data points summarizing past memories provided by Maura Bosbyshell

We will use signage with prompts to solicit memories, which viewers will share via a QR code. The QR will take them to a landing page on Wil’s website where they will enter their memory and see those of other viewers. Examples of prompts include, ‘Do you have a favorite tree or tree memory from your childhood?’ and ‘When was the last time you climbed a tree?’ On the landing page, viewers will also be able to upload a photo relating to their memory.

In addition, signage will provide ‘fun facts’, ie interesting data points and examples of past responses to viewers; for example,

The following locales outside the US are mentioned when referring to favorite trees (all memories were collected in Charlotte):

• Jamaica (mango tree)
• Japan (willow)
• Kenya
• Morocco
• Trinidad (mango tree)
• W. Africa (palm tree)
• Spain (chestnut)

The objective of the Climate Conversations project is to use art to provoke memories and stimulate thinking about the impact and importance of trees. The project itself is not scientifically based, nor does it focus on future actions to save trees. Instead, it is more personal, seeking to elicit personal memories. We use art to get to the ‘why’ more so than the ‘how’. We know we are successful when people linger in an installation.

Each installation features site-, audience-, and event-relevant programming. Consistent components include public interaction, fine art, fiber art, and the collection and display of tree-related memories. We often curate multiple artists and offer public programming. The project can include single and multi-day as well as interior and exterior displays.

Past installations for the Climate Conversations project include:

a) Resident Artist show at the McColl Center (2021) – We premiered the Memory Tree, a tree/large branch where viewers write memories on tags and hang them on the branches. Hence, we began collecting memories from viewers.

b) Earth Day Charlotte ’22 – Since Earth Day is family friendly, we include a hands-on art component for young children. We displayed tree disks, slices of tree trunks that have been cut down, to discuss loss of trees. The tree disks also provided a tactile aspect. We are currently planning for Charlotte Earth Day ‘23.

c) Gallery 206 (2022) – This installation was a key part of the organization’s month-long Creation Care program. We curated an art show with an environmental theme, which served as a fundraiser for the program. We co-lead a youth tour of the art exhibit, discussing environmental impacts in their lives and in the future. We also lead an adult program by sharing examples of memories we had collected.

We are artists whose art is rooted in a love for the natural environment, and our intimate but often unconscious relationship with it. Our fascination with trees lies in my belief that trees are not proverbial abstract things but individual, living beings with personalities and stories to tell. Bringing those stories into a daily consciousness is at the heart of our creative process. We hope to instill the public with a more personal relationship with trees—leading to greater understanding of their importance in the local ecosystem, the planet, and the spiritual place they hold in the world.

Experimenting with Paper

This is an experiment in paper with one of my tree series drawings. Usually I use sketch paper, but this is printing paper which is much thicker than sketch paper. Because of the thickness the initial step of rubbing texture from the tree is more subtle than my past drawings. This drawing is coming out with less dark values, interesting. We will see what happens. 

Trees on a Billboard Let's Hope

The above is my entry to Art Pop for 2020. I hope I get in. Below is the statement I wrote to go with it. 

My art has been informed by climate change, the public’s familiarity with drawing and the universality of trees.

Using graphite drawing, textured rubbing, and gestural marks, which look spontaneous but in fact, carefully placed. Intense texture-heavy areas allow for what a tree feels like. My drawing allows for artistic freedom while stimulating the mind to what branches may even smell like.

Our community sees trees as an abstract concept, and not as important for each neighborhood’s natural space, parks and greenways. I hope my drawings, exposed to thousands of people in the Charlotte area through Art Pop, will diffuse climate and nature into Charlotte’s soul as well as the community’s discourse.

Why Draw Trees?

Why Draw Trees?

Climate change, the accessibility of drawing, and universality with trees are the factors that inform my current drawing series. 

Travelling across Alaska while in the army, and my residency in Hungary led me to explore the impact of humans on the landscape. Trees grant us our existence on Earth. Without them we do not have a future. Most people see trees as the proverbial abstract forest; I see them as individuals. Each tree has a personality and a story to tell us. 

My drawings center on the interaction between the texture of the bark, the natural design of the limbs and depiction of the scars left by time and weather. I look for deep shadows in the knots and patterns in the bark. I draw to transform natural detail into massive, solid shapes, achieving unique perspectives from an up close and personal vantage point. 

When I draw a tree, I get close up and study the detailed textures, bark, branches, etc. Older trees show the scars of living and time, just like people. A broken or twisted branch is beautiful in the story that it communicates. 

I have been working in graphite as my primary medium since 2008. My process is as follows. I travel to locations where there are older trees like the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Pisgah National Forest or locally north Charlotte’s Ribbonwalk. There I observe the trees and spend time with them. I sketch on location, sometimes using rubbings of the bark’s texture. I also photograph the tree for future reference. 

On return to my studio, I use the sketches, texture rubbings and the photos to draw very detailed close-up drawings in graphite. I include the living, dead and broken branches. Before I put marks on the paper, I score the paper with rough objects like rocks, etc. This scoring shows up as white texture in the dark values of the final work. I then apply the graphite in values light to dark. At various times in the process I randomly make marks on the paper with graphite or other instruments to emulate the bark imperfections and variations. 

On observation, the viewer can literally see the divine, through the divine proportion in the bark and branches. I emphasize the ratios found naturally in branches that result in the wonderful asymmetrical balance that stimulates and fascinates our unconscious minds. My drawings are heavily focused on a full range of light and dark values and include as much of the tree’s individual personality as possible. As in nature, some branches of a tree are almost invisible until you get really close. I reward the viewer to get up-close and linger with my drawings. 

 

I want viewers to develop a more personal relationship with trees, leading to greater understanding of their importance in the ecosystem.

Drawing 11 in the Tree Series in Honor of Earth Day 2020

Drawing 11 in the series is pretty bold. No branches, no leaves, just texture. There are two pine trees in the drawing, one was struck by lightning. The edge of the bark was really fun to work on. 

Earth Day 2020 was last week.  I want my tree drawings, and the viewer’s understanding of how they relate to world climate events, to be as universally accessible and familiar as elementary school art class.

I hope that this Tree Series brings trees into our daily conversation so we can talk about climate change in a way that is personal to us. I share my work with others to provide common ground to work toward common purpose.

Tree Series to date - 10 drawings

  The Tree Series so far. Drawing 1 to 10.

Tree Series: Drawing 10 complete

I am spending as much time as I can doing art during the pandemic. Mainly to to keep my mind in a positive area. Nature is important and vital, so it is worth the time to spend capturing its beauty and subtly. Here is drawing 10 of the Tree series. I worked on adding more 3D elements to this drawing through two cut off branches. This tree had a great deal of moss on one side as well. The different textures of bark, moss, scare tissue are what is fascinating about these trees.

Drawing 9 in the Tree Series

Here is drawing 9 in my Tree Series. There are a few things I am happy about in this drawing. One is the dead branches that change texture on the right. Also the knot in the truck came out well. The multiple rings were fun to draw. The knot is almost a scare on the tree. This is a tree in the Cone Forest near Blowing Rock, NC.

Tree Series to Date

The Tree Series has 8 drawings now.

Most Recent Ancient Tree Drawing

I have really enjoyed working on this series. I changed the name from Old Pine to Ancient Trees so I can add oak trees to the series. The texture, bark irregularities are what is so interesting to me in this series. I use a real tree as a model, but I take liberties in leaving out branches in some cases.

McColl Center for the Arts Member Exhibition

One of my Weight Series of drawings is in the 2019 McColl Member show. Above is the fire painting I had displayed during the 2016 member show. The Show runs through January 2020.

Figure Sketches - Faces

I enjoy playing around with figures in my sketchbook. Here are a few recent ones. The smiling face above was very difficult, but it came out well.

Old Spruce Series: Drawing number 6

This is a graphite drawing 18 x 24 on paper. These drawings are about texture. This tree has an unusual spiral texture in the truck which was fascinating and fun the draw. 

Weight Series at Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art Vicarious Exhibit

Five drawings from my Weight Series are on exhibit in the Vicarious Exhibition. Three of the five are 6 x 3 feet in size. That was one way I challenged myself in this drawing series. The other was to build empathy for woman in the middle of the financial crises. The series uses metaphor to convey the weight of society on people.

I worked to simply the foot and rock to fade out with less detail.

The light and shadow on the forward hand is my favorite part of this drawing.

This figure is victorious over the weight or pressure of society.