Murmur in the Trees V, ©John O’Grady
10″ x 14″ x 0.75″, oil on canvas, ready to hang.
NFS (Not for Sale)
The title of the painting is named after Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘A Murmur in the Trees – To Note’ and is the fifth piece inspired by this wonderful title.
The line comes to mind when out walking through the Mediterranean pine forests you’ll encounter near where I live.
The trees are wonderfully sculptural, tall and slender like a Giacometti sculpture and as the breeze passes through them, they sway gracefully, bending to touch each other, whispering.
This conversation takes place among the trees but by listening in, we are immersed in it.
Wandering along the path, the figure, you or me, is standing in the middle of the path, still, taking in the moment.
I’d love to hear what you think about the painting and whether it captures for you any sense of stillness.
Have you ever experienced a special moment of connection with nature? If so let me know, I’d love to hear about it.
The Making of ‘The Wave’ Day 3
It’s another time lapse piece at double speed that lasts about 3 minutes.
If you wish to see it at normal speed, you can click on settings at the bottom right of the video and change the speed to 0.5 although you might need to lower the music down as it too will be at half speed.
Click on ‘The wave’ to see the first video.
The longer I look at this painting, the more I feel immersed in its non-visual aspects — the feel of the air, the sounds, the scents in the landscape. The subdued palette in a way allows the eye to be quieter, to move slowly into the piece, and enable the other senses, and the imagination, to take over. Again, the figure could be anyone, absorbing the sensory experience along with the viewer. And, again, the winding path disappearing into the trees is mysterious and seductive.
Don’t you find that the “whispering” of trees has a seasonal component? The sounds change depending on whether the leaves are new or mature, and the first sign of autumn for me is the suddenly drier rustling that starts in mid- to late August as the wind moves the branches.
Thank you, John, for taking us on your creative journey with “The Wave.” The multilayered yet fluid process makes me wonder how much of the final image you conceive ahead of time and how much emerges from the painting process itself. It strikes me also — though my language for it is probably too strong — that every smear of paint from the tube onto the paper and every stroke with the palette knife is an act of either courage or faith, or both.
Hello Jo,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment on the painting. It’s good to know that the painting acted on your other senses. It is an aspect of what I aim at, to try and bring in other feelings. I agree, the ‘whispering has a seasonal component’ the drier rustling (what a wonderful word) of the leaves leaves certainly do sound different. Clearly Jo you are present to hear the differences, how wonderful.
Thanks also for your comment on my little video effort. The staring point was seeing the possibility of the rococo wave barely discernible at the start of the first video, after that it becomes a bit of a high wire act. I am a bit stuck at the moment, so who knows’.
Beautiful John – I can feel myself walking that path towards the light…those colours…
Thank you Jan,
Glad to hear the path draws you in. I was pretty happy with how the colours worked out on this piece.
I have been fortunate enough to experience a few special moments of connection with nature and thestrong memories have stayed with me through life. One such involved trees and as in your lovely painting I was walking along a meandering pathway. I too was attuned to the quiet, the birdsong, the ‘whispering’ and even the creaking of pine trees. My particular moment was a result of the effect of sunlight shafting through the trees to create a sort of prism of beams which illuminated the path in front of me; it was as if all fell silent and time stood still. You have captured the elegance of the tall pines beautifully John and it encapsulates the heightened awareness felt at such times. It is soft, mysterious and enticing.
Thank you for the latest installment of The Wave and as ever, although I can see the process evolving – I still wonder ‘how do you do it?’
Hello Chris,
Your wonderful description of your experience wandering through the trees fitted in very much with my own. The creaking pines whether mediterranean or Scots is unforgettable but your prism of beams sounds really special. I wonder did Newton experience the same thing and that set him of on his prism studies. Thank you for your poetic description of the painting, I agree it is a mysterious piece. Lets keep our fingers crossed with the video at the moment I am not to sure how it will unfold. That’s part of the exitement I think.