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| 7/11/24 southern catalpa, Green Lake neighborhood |
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| 6/17/24 |
As I’ve made small sketches of street trees, I’ve been noting ones that I want to go back to for larger portraits. One was a southern catalpa near Green Lake, which author Taha Ebrahimi notes in her book, Street Trees of Seattle, as being the eighth largest-diameter street catalpa in the city.
When I had made the small sketch (at right), its trunk had caught my attention, but I saw that its crown kept it in continual shade, which made drawing it difficult. I wasn’t sure yet how I would approach the portrait when I returned several weeks later, but I walked around the tree several times looking for the right composition. From a distance, I finally saw the full crown – and that’s when I realized that a good half of it had been lopped off to accommodate utility lines. While its trunk was beautiful (and entertaining to the family that had hung a swing and a rope ladder from it), its crown told the full story of its ongoing sacrifice in the service of humans.
Oh...I love how it extends on the one side. It is so impressive that way and I can just imagine how majestic it would look if it hadn't been trimmed for the utility lines. Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Most street trees would look very different if they were left to grow as they want to!
DeleteThat's a fantastic portrait.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
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