McGregor Pine

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on February 8, 2022 at 1:18pm

Curator’s Comments:

McGregor Pine stoically stands, both as a subject, and as a timeless painted image. The simplicity of the large two trees gives the viewer entry into the lusher landscape beyond.  I find it interesting to note the metal highway barricade places another visual element at the threshold of this open space.  The proximity of the towering pine to the barrier imparts a sort of vulnerability into the scene- the tree is right on the edge of a clearing for urban progress. I see it as taking on a vague anthropomorphic quality in its stance as sentry along the road.  Yet with closer viewing, one notes the road twists back behind the tree, and drops down into the valley below. So the obstacle is circumnavigated. The deep, and cool atmospheric perspective in the painting is visually pleasurable, but starkly contrasts the human versus natural environment.  The verticality of the painting, coupled with the large amount of open sky beautifully offsets the detail in the foliage close up.  While the physical dimensions of the piece aren’t noted, it effectively functions as a classic Renaissance window.  It’s a subject that is quite familiar to most viewers, and yet here, begs a longer viewing.  I feel this could be said throughout your painting practice, as evidenced by your body of figurative work and landscapes on the site.  I do hope you consider sharing new work with us.