I took some time out this past Sunday to paint at Old Fourth Ward Park, Atlanta, Ga. Hope you like the work so far. Comments are appreciated :)
M.J.
M.J.
I took some time out this past Sunday to paint at Old Fourth Ward Park, Atlanta, Ga. Hope you like the work so far. Comments are appreciated :)
M.J.
0 Comments
I've always wondered if plants/trees had feelings. My interpretation of those feelings are reflected from my artwork. For instance, image 1 portrays unity among the various aspects of nature. Image 2 describes the power a tree can have on the feelings of a person, exhibiting peace, fuel, and relaxation. The last image leads me to believe in the power of growth and success, similar to growth and measure of a plant's success.
Illustrations by Tracy G. Tree Projects that Heal Us By:Vadivu Govind I am so heartened to hear of the Trees for Wangari resource center affiliated with GEKI. I heard Wangari Maathai speak in New York some years ago. What I remember most was her reminding us to not let our formal studies restrict us from what we can do for the world. What a freeing and empowering message! Here are other tree projects that have touched my heart over the years. Yoko Ono’s Wish Trees “As a child in Japan, I used to go to a temple and write out a wish on a piece of thin paper and tie it around the branch of a tree. Trees in temple courtyards were always filled with people’s wish knots, which looked like white flowers blossoming from afar.” Yoko Ono: “All My Works Are A Form Of Wishing”. When I was in Washington DC, I remember writing a wish on a little piece of paper and hanging it on a tree. There were several people quietly doing the same thing. It was a lovely communal experience of people putting their wishes for peace out there. The messages were to be sent to Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree project at the Imagine Peace Tower, which symbolises John Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s campaign for world peace. You can take part. The Tree Project “Nature tells us with no ideological standpoint about war, atomic bombs, peace, nature, and the environment.” – Dr. Chikara Horiguchi Dr Hiroshi Sunairi shares seeds from trees that survived the Hiroshima bombing in the Tree Project. I saw The Tree Project exhibit when it came to Singapore. People from all over grows the seeds, transforming the violence of the past into peace and hope for the future. The tree was almost destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. But it was resilient and not just survived but flourished. Families of victims and others visit the area. Nature can play such an important role in memorializing events and healing communities. I didn’t see the memorial tree when I visited the area. However I bought this memorial leaf there. It is moulded from a tree from a leaf that was within a 500 mile radius of the World Trade Centre bombing. To me, those trees were silent witnesses to the horror. Today, their leaves have undergone an alchemy of sorts. It reminds me of how we can be transformed into higher states of being because of pain in our lives. Anne Frank’s Tree When I visit a city, I always check if it has museums related to peace or other virtues important to me. I have visited a few Holocaust museums. I haven’t visited the Anne Frank House but I have discover online that there was a tree in Anne Frank’s life that gave her hope. It was a chestnut tree she could see from the attic window. She said: “The two of us looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening with dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting with silver as they swooped through the air, and we were so moved and entranced that we couldn’t speak.” This website is an interactive monument so people can keep Anne’s ideals alive. You can leave a leaf which represents freedom, usefulness, goodness, courage, happiness, giving or humanity and write a personal message. The virtual tree is made from images of the real tree. Tavistock Square aka Peace Park This Gandhi statue is the centre-piece of Tavistock Square in London. I sat there and just quietly contemplated on Gandhi for some time. I wanted to see the statue because it was a special time in my life when I had finally understood nonviolence in a new, more expanded way. Trees heal, teach, remind, connect, support and do so much more. They can be living symbols of what truly matters to us.
Which nature projects have touched your heart? What could you start in your own community? Vadivu Govind is helping to build more humane and joyful workplaces in Singapore. She is the founding director of Joy Works. Images: Joy Works |
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