ARTIST: Lelia Henry
TITLE: Dúirlinn
MEDIUM: Charcoal on paper
DIMENSIONS: 76x54cm.
This drawing is from a series I have been working on for the last two years, exploring the significance of mature trees in the fight against climate change. I have always loved trees, especially in winter, so this was an ideal opportunity to research them, and spend time drawing them. I am particularly interested in the work of Canadian forestry scientist and Professor of Ecology, Suzanne Simmard, who has conducted extensive research into the human characteristics portrayed by trees, such as how they communicate, help each other out, nurture their young, and even have friends. Trees have always reminded me of humans, especially in winter, when they are stripped bare, and we can really see their form. Reading Simmard's writings reinforced this for me. It also brought me to look at the ancient Celtic wisdom of the Druids, who considered oak groves as sacred spaces, where they gathered to worship and perform rituals. Looking at these ancient teachings gives us new ways to look at and connect with the environment.
This little oak tree cut a lonely figure when I saw it - a solitary oak in the middle of a wood in Mayo, and I scrambled through briars to get a closer look. It wasn't a very large tree, yet it was still standing proud and majestic, commanding the overgrown space around it. As I walked around the tree, sketching and making notes, I felt as if it too was observing me, as I observed it, and it is this feeling which I have tried to convey in the drawing.