Australian Eucalyptus are such beautiful trees. I've been lucky to have grown up in leafy suburbs where large trees surrounded our family home, parks and schools so my love of large trees and collecting fallen pods and seeds started from a young age. I've never truly appreciated them for what they are until recently as they tolerated being bent and viciously blown about in the recent winds. They are so strong and mighty, yet forgiving (for our landscape is known to be quite harsh in the Summer), delicate and graceful.
The knowledge I've gained since working in nature has been monumental as I've needed to understand what a plant needs to survive and thrive, which in turn has naturally forced me to look deeper making my connection with the earth so much stronger. The cycle of life in nature is truly fascinating. One incredible bit of knowledge I've recently learned was that some of our gums require bushfire to spark life into fallen nuts to rejuvenate. Some natives require just smoke and others fire as well.
Feeling inspired, I wanted to draw - it's been such a while! I've been asked many times what I would call my style. To be honest, I don't know. It's something I've always done. I've never been able to integrate colour - it's always been just black and white - and I always start with a pen. I've never been able to label my style as it's never pre-planned or sketched out. Sometimes I'll catch a glimpse at how the light brings to life a particular spot or the texture of a leaf and my muse awakens. In this case, I wanted to embody the leaves and gum nuts swaying in the wind.
So after an incredibly productive weekend of collecting wood, harvesting the rest of my shiitakes, making shiitake salt with the left over mushrooms, household and business chores and a little socialising, I finished my concept drawing which I plan to turn into an A3 sized drawing:
Enjoy your week :)
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