Remembering Home
Heritage Village Lane | watercolor on Arches cold press paper, 2021. 10 x 8”
Today I finished a commission for my good friends, Jenny and Art, who are moving out of state. They had many happy years in their Campbell apartment and wanted to remember it. The trees in front of the building were also significant to them, so we chose a composition that would feature them as well.
When I agreed to the commission, it was still winter and the trees were dormant. Jenny asked if I could possibly paint the trees in bloom – come springtime, their crowns would burst with bright white blossoms. I said I would try, knowing full well how much I rely on my reference photos to get all the details as close as possible to the real thing. My photos didn’t show a single flower or even a green leaf, but I figured I’d be able to come up with a solution somehow.
I mentioned the project to my friend and colleague, Julie Cline. She’s been a keen observer of all kinds of plants since she was young, so I thought she might be able to clue me in on what type of tree it was. Then I could look up images of the tree online to use for reference. I should have guessed that Julie would know EXACTLY what tree it was, even down to its interesting history. These were Bradford pear trees. They start off small, exhibiting cute lollipop shapes, which made them a favorite for city planners. As they age, however, they turn into giant monstrosities that can’t even support their own weight. You can see the tree on the right of my painting verging toward that fate – multiple heavy limbs are growing so large, they’re likely to break off eventually.
Sometime after my conversation with Julie, I found out it helped spur one of her own blog posts. In it, she writes all about these trees and goes on to discuss how our expectations for various things in life – trees, growing children, and even new electronics – are not always what we would like them to be. It’s a really great read, and I encourage you to check it out.
After learning about Bradford pear trees from Julie and after reading her post, I realized my friends’ attachment to the two trees in front of their apartment could also teach us something about expectations and imperfection. At first I thought Jenny and Art wanted to remember the trees for their beauty, for a pleasant scent, or for some other romantic reason. This was not the case at all. Jenny told me later that they had affectionately nicknamed them “the poop trees.” Guests were always instructed not to park under them because birds loved hanging out on their branches, snacking on the tiny fruit that these trees aren’t even supposed to produce (but often do). Maybe the trees’ irregular shape didn’t bother my friends, but the birds inside them sure did! And yet, it was one of those details worth remembering about the place they lived in for so many years. It was something that might have been quickly forgotten as they settled into their new home, in a new neighborhood, with plenty of space for parking.
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to create this painting for my friends. They now have a way to remember the home where they entertained friends and family, where they watched their kids grow up. My hope is that it will help them remember it completely, imperfections and all.
Click above to play a time lapse showing how I painted Heritage Village Lane.
