Every Tree I Have Ever Seen (Small Studies)

These painting studies are on canvas, float-mounted and framed in box frames with glass.  A set of these paintings would make a stunning collection.  Sara’s series of tree studies are responses to the ancient oaks which populate the hills, near Sara’s studio where she walks, breathes and explores her own local terrain. She records video footage of these magnificent ancient oaks and younger trees, which she uses as the main resource for her paintings. The trees in these paintings fulfil the same role as the rocks in her coastal works: they offer simultaneous metaphors for permanence and impermanence in the environment. Despite their constant state of seasonal change and growth, the apparent stability of each tree creates a seemingly timeless and enduring presence in the landscape. An understanding of the environmental importance of trees feels re-awakened and our relationship with the environment we inhabit is altered. Each tree is a unique individual, yet it fulfils a universally similar role within the ecosystem that it lives. Sara considers these paintings to be layered portraits – incorporating aspects of ‘every tree I have ever seen’. Traces of the layering process create hints and suggestions of other or previous trees. Similar to how her coastal works recognise the oceans as ‘the lungs of the planet’, these works value and share the essential importance of trees to human life.