Pine Tree 1987

Eyvind Earle made this ‘Pine Tree’ drawing with ink, I think, maybe even a very fine pen. I love the obsessive attention to detail, those tiny needles like exploding stars – it feels like he really saw the tree, like he spent time with it, feeling its ancientness. It makes me think about how we look, how we see, and what it means to really *see* something. I've drawn trees before, but never with this level of care. What was Earle thinking as he made each mark? Was it a meditative process, a kind of communion with nature? The dark ink creates drama. The textures invite you into the bark. Look at how he uses line to create volume and shadow. It reminds me a little of Hokusai, that same love of nature, that same intensity of observation. We're all just building on each other, trying to capture something essential about the world, and I feel like Earle really got close to it here.