Copper Beech 1963

Charles Arthur Wells Jr. created this detailed print of a Copper Beech tree, and the way he’s rendered it reminds me of how a tree looks when the wind catches it just so. You know, I can almost feel the artist standing there, squinting, trying to capture the light as it filters through the leaves, thinking about all the other artists who have tried to capture the spirit of a tree. There's something so generous about how he depicts the canopy, like he's trying to give us everything he sees. The trunks and branches reach up and out, forming a kind of architecture against the sky. Wells invites us to pause and consider the beauty of nature, a conversation as old as time, but always new. The way he contrasts the delicate foliage with the solid trunk makes me think about the push and pull between permanence and change. I feel like this print is a reminder of how we are all connected, artists building on the ideas of those who came before.