Women in Trees
Intergenerational Memory Portraits
2026-
COOKIE AGE 97 IN A TREE
2026, Casein on Duralar
I have a thing for women in trees. So much so that I always look out for old photographs in thrift stores. I meet those images with an unspoken moment of delight. Hiding, climbing and standing in a tree changes how you see the world and how the world sees you. It’s a simple act of celebration that is filled with simple joy. Up until recently I never thought much about it.
Then in 2023 I met my friend Cookie. We started to meet twice a month for lunch. Cookie is 97 years old, soon to be 98. Over lunch we told each other stories about ourselves.
The best stories are those that connect us. If you are lucky in life you are able to tell your stories out loud. Because somebody listens to them you are able to become visible. But there is so much more to this story making magic - by listening to a story, the listener is also changed.
I painted Cookie at age 97 standing in a superman pose somewhere up high in a Ponderosa pine tree that has no visible beginning or end. How did she get there ? That doesn’t matter . It’s a waste of time to consider that because she stands sure footed, safe and confident in a radiant warm sunlight. She got there and that’s all that matters.
The tree is like a fairy tale tree with thin washes of very saturated color. and hidden faces in its bark. Even though there it has scarred knots and broken limbs it is very much sturdy and alive.
If the background reminds you of a kaleidoscope it is because I painted into the background one of Cookie’s earliest memories of color and play. She told me that her favorite childhood toy was a kaleidoscope.
