Carolina in the Pines

Why Carolina in the Pines and not Carolina on my Mind? Read on! This time of year when the leaves are down, I just love the way Pine trees pop into view. It makes me think of one of my favorite songs in college (gasp – before I ever even knew I would end up in North Carolina). But before I share the song and more thoughts with you, I’ll welcome new readers (welcome!). And I’ll share the focus of this post and blog.

Small Spaces Special Places

Each year, I select a theme for my weekly paintings. This year’s theme is “Small Spaces Special Places.” One of the reasons I chose this theme is I have been surprised, even delighted, with the small spaces in our house that have captured my eye.

Then, there are the special places I see on my daily dog walks here in Raleigh. I love to venture out on walks with our dog everyday. You would be amazed at the glimpses of beautiful moments. Each morning, rain or shine, I love getting outdoors and looking for special places to paint.

Sometimes I paint from photographs but I don’t find that option very satisfying. So, if it’s cold and rainy on the walk, I’ll snap a few photos. Then, in the studio, I’ll mostly paint from memory or my imagination.

Imagine

That’s what happened this past week. I kept seeing mighty pines against the grey and rainy sky. They seem so bold and wonderful and offer a glimpse of green, right?

The pines in these paintings are in our backyard. But they are so tall, I can’t paint them without looking up and craning my neck. Plus there’s a garage and the back of a house in our backyard. The great thing about painting from imagination is I get to leave out what I want. Here’s a larger version of the first pine tree.

Tree Gestures

The second tree I painted is right next to the first one. It’s a bit smaller. Each of these trees has a specific ‘gesture.’ In fact, each looks as if they are leaning towards each other. After reading The Hidden Life of Trees, I think it’s possible these two are speaking to each other. Here’s a larger version of tree number two.

Trees in Moonlight

As I painted these two trees in moonlight, I had to cue up “Carolina in the Pines” by Michael Martin Murphey.

Every time I hear this song, I get all watery-eyed. When I think ‘why’ watery-eyed, I can say there are several reasons. Check out the lyrics:

She came to me, said she knew me
Said she’d known me a long time
And she spoke of being in love
With every mountain she had climbed

And she talked of trails she’d walked up
Far above the timber line
From that night on I knew I’d write a song
With Carolina in the pines

There’s a new moon on the fourteenth
First quarter, the twenty first
And the full moon in the last week
Brings a fullness to this earth

There’s no guesswork in the clockwork
Of the world’s heart or mind
There are nights I only feel right
With Carolina in the pines

When the frost shows on the windows
And the wood stove smokes and glows
As the fire grows we can warm ourselves
Watching rainbows in the coals

And we’ll talk of trails we walked up
Far above the timber line
There are nights I only feel right
With Carolina in the pines

Home

Gahhh! I’m getting all water-eyed just sharing these lyrics with you. There are so many things I associate with North Carolina. It’s my first real home as a young adult. I got moved here with a company based out of Boston (my home town) when I was 21 years old. NC is where I have met some amazing people including my dear husband.

But I also moved away for five years from 2014 to 2019. I can say I missed the sights, sounds and smells of North Carolina every single day. So, having only been back just over a year, I am painting one of North Carolina’s treasures: trees.

Plentiful or not

As you fly into the airport here in Raleigh, all you see is trees. It seems they are bountiful. But I encourage you to read more about trees. We are taking them for granted. My wish is that people would get outside, take more walks, stop having so many babies, slow down all the development, treasure the resources we have and, oh yeah, plant a homegrown national park. If we all did these things, we might still have trees and Mother Earth in 100 years.

For Sale

These gouache paintings are for sale! They are small and measure 3 inches wide by 9 inches long. If you buy all three they are $120. If you want just one, they are $45 each. Contact me here to buy.

That’s the latest from Raleighwood, Gentle Reader. What’s your experience with trees? Do you notice them more this time of year? Or do you prefer to pay more attention to trees in the warmer, leafier months? I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below.