Cat’s Cradle

4/22/15 various inks, watercolor, Caran d'Ache Museum water-
soluble colored pencils, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

On the way home from an errand in Ballard, I drove on the non-arterial streets, where I often spot interesting trees to sketch. Since today is Earth Day, I had my eyes open for yet another butchered tree to add to my sketch collection. (I thought I could comment on the continual negotiation on planet Earth between humans and other inhabitants. Or some such.)

Instead I found this one: a relatively tall tree for a traffic circle (those trees tend to be short to avoid being a visual obstruction), with a slim profile and its branches somewhat spindly. Its yellowish leaves made me wonder if it’s an elm, though I’m not sure. In any case, I was struck by the wild criss-crossing of power lines all around that slender tree, which seems to be growing through the center of a giant game of Cat’s Cradle.

Happy Earth Day, skinny tree, and keep ducking those wires!