Mystery of tree trunks

Mystery of tree trunks, Linocut No. 6 from the series Structures from Nature was created in my new studio in Malexander. In the graphic studio, there is a graphic press that enables me to print. The forest surrounding the house is a source of inspiration and investigation of the mystery of tree trunks nature. In this series, I pay homage to the structures of the trees. In this image, the tree is recognisable. The branches look like arms stretched upwards. Yes, this tree wants to go upwards, to the light and the sun. In its slow but persistent journey upwards, the tree builds up the structure of its trunk. The bark of the tree becomes thicker and thicker every year, its tissue is made up of intricate fibres, creating faces for tree trunks. It forms meanders and curves, hollows and bulges – a mystery of nature is how it is created. Sometimes disaster strikes – the tree loses a branch. What remains is a wound that needs to be healed. The bark tissue heals it like a good doctor. These activities, which are important for the life of a tree, result in an inspiring image. There is a reason to keep it, to immortalise it in the linocut technique. In my graphic nature studio, I spend many hours working on a piece of linoleum. I listen to music and sculpt the matrix. I can compare my work to that of a translator. Drawing tree trunks I translate the language of nature into my language of artistic expression. Many famous artists have worked with this technique. One of them that inspires me is German artist Emil Nolde.