FOREWORD
Fiona McIntyre
Stanton Guildhouse is a perfect location for an exhibition entitled ‘The Tree of Life’. The house stands high above a magnificent valley surrounded by an ancient apple orchard and resonates with the ethos of its founder Mary Osborn who recognised the importance of arts and crafts within a village community and to the world at large. It comes at a particularly poignant time when humanity has been awakened to the importance of trees as a life source of the oxygen we breath on this planet and an understanding that they are to be respected, protected and nurtured for our collective future. 28 artists have contributed to this prescient exhibition to include 14 of The Arborealists, a contemporary ‘movement’ of like-minded artists with a growing reputation for diverse exhibitions and ecological collaborations. The Arborealists are the brain child of founder, artist and former Southampton City Art Gallery curator Tim Craven and his compatriot Philippa Beale who together have curated more than 25 national and international exhibitions to date. As a group we are delighted to be joined by 14 guest artists and together we explore a very ancient theme of ‘The Tree of Life’ each from a unique and individualistic perspective. I’m also honoured to be invited to write something for this exhibition and feel that there are a number of interesting themes being explored which include; fragility of nature; ancient oak; life force; transformation magic and mystery; age and wisdom; abstraction; pattern and form. FRAGILITY OF NATURE Arborealist Jemma Appleby investigates in 'Jacobs #3' the relationship between organic and man-made structures using varying grades of charcoal meticulously applied to paper to provoke in us an uneasy response to the perception of trees when juxtaposed against hard edged structures which unbalance nature. In contrast Richard Bavin bathes his 'Oak with Rosebay Willowherb' in atmosphere and light to elicit a gentler poetic response to the importance of bio-diversity within natural habitats, meadows and often rewilded woodland. Philippa Beale’s carefully conceived painting 'Food and Fuel' nod to historical and current issues of the destruction and plunder of natural habitats which she expresses as trees becoming ghosts within a remembered monochromatic landscape. ANCIENT OAK The Arborealist founder Tim Craven’s watercolour 'East Water Valley' is a photorealist painting of enigmatic twisted oaks in Horner’s Wood on Exmoor and a protected nature reserve of significance. His work is concerned with deadpan mark-making to create a depth of illusion between the abstract and the real. 'The Major Oak, Sherwood Forest, Nottingham' by Mike Holcroft is a singular protected oak of 1000 year fame that is considered so sacred and worthy of care that its frame is propped up by numerous cables. He illuminates the mythical status of this extraordinary oak using vibrant oil pastel on paper. The subject of oak trees is reiterated by Paul Newman in his graphite drawings of 'Queen of the Woods' drawn in Ynys-Hir nature reserve in Wales and 'Sentinel' drawn beside the River Horner in Exmoor. Paul’s exquisitely observed drawings detail the presence and unusual almost human-like shapes that such ancient oak trees develop as they age over long periods of time. The theme of time passing is also taken up by Robert A Brooks in 'Summer Sun' in which he paints trees in thin shifting layers of oil colour in real time to consider the presence, beauty and hours passing on an English summer’s day.
It is clear that ‘The Tree of Life’ is a profound archetype which evolved deep within our human consciousness from our beginnings as sentient beings. It appears in world religions, philosophy and mythology and can be understood as a symbol that connects all of creation. It has appeared in art and literature throughout the ages in every society and on every continent from Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America to Australia. As early humans we spent much of our time in trees foraging fruit, climbing and sleeping in them and later as the climate changed we were forced to adapt to spending time on the ground and eventually migrating across huge areas out of the forest. However trees never lost their deep significance in our lives and became places of refuge, worship, foraging medicine and dyes and resources for building tools, weapons and houses. Trees are a constant backdrop to our shared history of art and architecture inspiring the pillars and temples of Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome and resurfacing in the European Renaissance and later in Romantic ideals of beauty. More recently and with the advent of the Covid 19 pandemic we have once again remembered our reverence for trees because they produce life giving oxygen, and are places of calm and tranquility in an increasingly febrile and stressful world. Our concern for the environment is inspiring radical tree planting across the planet such as the 'Great Green Wall' of the Sahara and the Sahel led by the African Union, and the 'More Trees Now' Dutch initiative which is encouraging the planting of saplings across the Netherlands and Europe. Within the UK there are countless organisations such as 'Trees For Cities' which are expanding urban tree planting to improve local communities. 'Trees For Life' are re-establishing the Caledonian Forest and thereby enriching Scotland's eco systems, and of course the 'Woodland Trust' is pledging to plant 50 million native trees over the next five years. This year The Arborealists have been invited to participate in 'The Queen's Green Canopy' a UK-wide tree planting initiative to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee. We live in unprecedented times and now more than ever the arts can make a real difference in raising public awareness of these important issues.
Fiona McIntyre, January 2022 Painter Printmaker and founding member of The Arborealists