My memory of real trees - ones I've seen and touched - is like a wellspring that nourishes my tree paintings. There are two favorite trees that have imaginative power for me.

First is a tree from my childhood in England. It was a weeping cherry tree, probably a dwarf variety, next to our small pond in our back garden.

My first baby swing was suspended from this tree. And I loved being under the branches, especially laden with blossoms, and enveloped by the fragrance. I remember my grandmother carefully climbing onto a chair to hand me some of its few cherries.

Below is my "The Tree of Life: Cherry Delight." In this work, I wanted to re-create that feeling of being enveloped, under its branches. My painting brings together two separate times: Spring blossoms and Summer cherries. There is a sense of endless abundance and quiet, vibrant warmth.

The Tree of Life: Cherry Delight 40x60 Oil

Second, there are the wonderful stone pine trees that I saw on my trip to Italy. This particular pine is tall (40-60 feet typically) with an umbrella-like canopy on a thick trunk. It inspired my "Tree of Life: Fireflies Arrival!"

Tree of Life: Fireflies Emerging 30x60 Oil

The strong, assertive vertical trunk lifts the whole painting upwards. That verticality gives a sense of the gold-flashing fireflies rising to illuminate the canopy, creating a living starfield.

Do you have a favorite tree? What does it mean to you? What memories does it evoke for you?