The Departed; The Determinate

The Departed
Marion Mills
Oil
Vanderhoof
2007


I travel 118 km of logging road every time I go to Vanderhoof so I see the actual condition of our forests. This painting was inspired on one of those trips where at 50 km. on the Kluskus FSR, a forest fire literally ravaged the dead beetle wood. Where once there was a thriving green forest, now there are blackened upright spires of the departed.

The Determinate
Marion Mills
Oil
Vanderhoof
2007

In this painting I wanted to portray a sense of loss, along with the sense of unknown. The depth of the forest gives the viewer an awareness of the vastness of the volume of trees hit by this epidemic. The reds, interspersed with greens, communicate a sense of hope that not all trees were hit. The greens interspersed with reds, communicate the threat that this healthy stand might be on its way out. The black trees represent the cold fact that dead forests are potential tinderboxes.

The determinate, whose value is the sum of all the products that can be formed from a certain number of quantities in a block; the beetle infestation has affected the forests not only in volume; but also because bug wood cannot produce the same quality of lumber as healthy green pine, and therefore their product value cannot be determined.

Past, Present, and Future; Sole Survivor

Past, Present, and Future
Lynn Box
Watercolour
Prince George
2006


This small triptych is representative of the forest as the pine beetle continues its inexorable march
through the pine trees at an alarming rate. The green past was before the devastation of the beetle, when the trees where healthy and vibrant. The present shows how the forest is changing, with a spectrum of green to rust to grey. The future represents the dead trees that are left when the beetle passes (and in fact is fast becoming part of the present). The background of each painting is important to note as the colours reflect what is happening behind the trees. Although the forest is dying, on the far right side, in the future, the green is coming back. That is my hope.





















Sole Survivor
Lynn Box
Watercolour
2006


Despite the devastation of the pine beetle epidemic in our forests, in amongst the rust red trees, I see lonely green pine trees standing against the onslaught. I am hopeful that some of the pine trees that are left will be the stronger generation to meet the demands of future infestations. The background colours are, again, important as they represent the death of the forest moving to re-growth and revitalization. That is my hope.

Cull pile

Cull pile
Kim Stewart
mixed media installation
Prince George
2007

I would like to install a piece which I have named 'Cull Pile' after the piles of 'garbage wood' that are left on logging sites for burning. This installation consists of a large pile of cardboad boxes, each bearing the likeness of a Beetle killed tree, branch, bark or needles. I plan to create these likenesses using com­binations of conte, charcoal, pos­sibly some printmaking, collaging techniques (paper, old magazines, also considered tree or pulp related garbage), and bees wax. Each of the elements used in this pile will make reference to the trees, or to a product made from trees, all of which is now considered garbage. I would like the 'pile' to be interactive in that people can pick through it and salvage what they can, just as they would a pile on a logging site. Whatever is left on the pile at the end of the show would be burned, just as a real cull pile is, hopefully in the parking lot, or somewhere close by where people can watch and react. I am hoping to stir a sense of loss for something that is beautiful, but that no longer is seen as useful. I hope people will mourn the fact that I have to burn my art, and that they might transfer those emotions to the loss of the trees. There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between this installation, and the Pine Beetle killed trees, and I am hoping people will make those con­nections and ask themselves impor­tant questions about this issue.

"An Intertwining Story"

"An Intertwining Story"

Kathy Russell

Watercolour, Creative Writing
Vanderhoof

2007


I first noticed the pine beetle problem when the distant hillsides began changing from green to rust. Suddenly, neighbourhood trees began to change and our walking trails were lined with red. Homes that had been nestled in amongst tall pine trees were suddenly exposed….jutting awkwardly from yards strewn with haphazard, broken piles of felled trees. It was shocking, to see such devastation where it had been picturesque.

The community joined together, debating, discussing, wondering and working together as they struggled to come to terms and determine what choices lay ahead for their future. It struck me that the unexpected and unwanted drew everybody together, in a common need to understand and cope. Very quickly the ugly, bare yards were tidied up and grass and trees replanted, houses suddenly renovated. The need to replace the unacceptable and unwelcome as soon as possible was very symbolic. In everything, there comes a turning point, a time when we realize we must make a change in direction. There is also evidence of natural change and cycles in our brittle, red meadow, where one can find amongst the dead trees, the promising fresh green of new growth.

The paintings represent the various stages of the pine beetle infestation. I felt the forest’s struggle was such a powerful symbol of life cycles and love, and the pain, stages and promise of what can come within our lives. I combined the writing with the painting, because I think together they could create a more complete story. Words tell us one thing, and we can look at something and think we understand, but sometimes we need to put them both together to truly gain the greatest depth and understanding.
I find writing an essential form of personal expression. I’m just beginning to paint, and enjoy the soft shades and subtle details of watercolours. I chose the blue stained wood for a background; I find the discolouration is actually quite beautiful. To me, it shows that even in devastation, there can still come forth a beauty. That is also the thread of thought I used for the short writings on the forest and love. We can always look back and see what we should have seen, although quite often it is too late to turn back the tide. I believe that with the forest, and our lives, we need to look, to learn and to keep the lesson and move forward with faith.

Hope

Hope
Judy Blattner
Watercolour
Vanderhoof
2007

Deadline

Deadline
Judith DesBrisay
Acrylic on canvas
Quesnel
2005

Towering coniferous trees and deciduous sentinels evoke thoughts about this land that we share with nature. As our winters warm, tiny beetles have painted red pine skeletons against the blue Caribou sky. Words drift through my mind: “timeline”… “treeline”… “deadline”…. We are at a crossroad where we must understand the interconnected nature of our lives with our surrounding environment. It’s essential to make choices that will protect and enhance wellbeing for the intricate web of life. In “Deadline” I have incorporated elements from the wilderness place I inhabit. On a base of plaster on wooden panel are layers glazes of acrylic paint over areas of wood ash, earth and pine needles. Can you sense the elusive tales swirling through this dying forest?

Circumfusion 38 - at the edge of the woods

Circumfusion 38 - at the edge of the woods
Jane Anderlini
Acrylic on Canvas
Prince George
2007


Circumfusion 38 – at the edge of the woods
Was created by applying blue paint to the trunk
of the beetle kill tree described in the poem above,
then moving the blue and red painted canvas
over the wet, peeling bark of the trunk.


at the edge of the woods
Jane Anderlini
poetry

at
the edge
of the woods

tall and green
it waved in the breeze
at the edge of the woods
where the lawn meets the trees

taller than most
but one of so many there
it hadn’t stood out
until needles turned red and the trunk became bare

growing up beside us
while children, too, grew through the years
from infants to toddlers to teens to adults
it was there through our fun and our laughter and even our tears

weathering the storms
on those chilled winter days
and the parched night air of some thirty Julys
always there, we could see it, through the early dawn’s haze

always there in the shadows of night
when the sun slipped away and we rested in bed
but soon only a stump will be there to tell
of the tree that towered green among the living and now is just blue and red
dead