THE FAMILY TREE
I paint a lot of individual trees in my images of coastal scenery. I usually choose what I call “character trees” to depict in my paintings. Selected for their artistic position on some rocky point, or for their distinctive shape and profile against a dramatic coastal sky, the trees I paint usually can be recognized simply because they are special or unique in their very existence.
This tree though is the first tree I’ve ever painted that has its very own story. This tree truly is a part of a family. In its very presence it is a thread of continuity for generations of the Fisher family living here on the Sunshine Coast.
In the summer of 2019, I was contacted by Leigh Yochlowitz. He asked me to paint a special tree and the painting was to be a surprise birthday gift for his wife Carolyn. It was a big one, the birthday that is, and he implored me to at least have a look at the tree in question. “I don’t normally do commissions.”, I told Leigh, but I’d take a look. Together we made our way out to the coastal property of the Fisher family overlooking the Salish Sea here on the Sunshine Coast. Leigh’s wife Carolyn is the daughter of Celia and Bud Fisher. As soon as we drove into the yard, I could see the tree, but it was “…just a tree…” to me and my artist’s eye. We wandered around looking from various positions and truthfully, I was searching for the words to tell Leigh that perhaps this one wasn’t for me. At one point though we went to visit Bud Fisher in his home on the property. Bud’s wife Celia had passed away a few years earlier and I’d known her well. I’d worked with her on several community projects over the years. All of a sudden, this possible painting became just a bit more personal to me.
As Bud and Leigh talked, I wandered into the living room to have a look at the tree from that vantage point. Almost immediately I knew I’d paint the tree. It truly “came into focus” for me. From Bud’s home I could now see the rock wall and other rock placements that spoke of the human touch. I could actually feel the long-time care and special family history of this place. The rock wall did that in its simplicity. On the drive home I told Leigh that I “…may have found something…” but I made no promises. I knew though that I’d be painting that special tree.
In considering these words that I’d write as the story to go with the painting, I asked Leigh to do a bit of research. Diane Penonzek, Celia’s daughter and Carolyn’s sister, came back with some information. This property had initially been acquired by Bud’s grandfather, Fred Fisher, as far back as 1913. Six generations of Fisher families have grown up on, or visited this property for over 100 years. Diane’s accounting of the history of the property is far more complete and I hope it’s included and attached to the painting when it’s hung.
The one constant through all of those years has been that old fir tree. I’m told that family members simply refer to it as “the tree”, and everyone knows of what they speak. Is it any wonder that this very special tree finds a place in the hearts of the Fisher family? Buildings have come and gone, so too family members grown, moved on or have passed, but the tree stands on in its silent vigil. This tree is spoken of as a personality. When it comes to the Fisher family, it has history. In some very real way, they know that tree as “family.”
I’ve painted the tree in an attempt to depict it as it was perhaps many years ago. Today, there is a broken branch. I chose not to paint that. Today there are blank spaces along its strong trunk. I filled in those blank spots with branches ever so slightly as I’m sure it’s how children’s eyes saw it all those years ago. So too, I gave the ocean its wild animation as it dances to the music of the familiar west wind. “The Family Tree” stands constant, strong and defiant. It is proud in its resilience, as it holds the history of the Fisher family for the past 100 years. It will continue to do so on into the future, long after all of us are gone.
When I was searching for a title for this piece, it came to me as I finished the painting. A tree with such history, with such a stately, defiant and resilient profile could only be titled in one way. To the Fisher family, this is “THE FAMILY TREE.”
