#2030 "Setting Down Some Roots"

The 2017 Southampton Art School Annual Adventure was carrying on the legacy of my friend and artist Jane Champagne. This was the sixth demonstration painting and the third one of Day 2 of the Plein Air Paint Out. After completing #2029 "Killarney Red Rocks" I crossed to the north side of the gravel road leading to Killarney Light looking for something interesting to paint. That is why both chickens and artists cross roads - for something completely different.

The artists had scattered with the wind but remained in the general area. The warm sector gales in advance of the cold front were howling and it was more comfortable to paint in the lee of some protection. I had to take long strolls to visit them all. Two intrepid participants watched this demonstration piece from start to finish. They saw me do things that I had not yet explained and that I did somewhat automatically anyway.

The roots of this ancient white pine snaked over the Killarney granite searching for nutrients and moisture. Countless feet had trod on those roots and worn off the protective bark. The tree had to be as old as the Killarney hills but it's true age was unknown. Fresh life was emerging from a protective crook in the root. New life emerges from the older generation even in the most unlikely circumstances. I hoped that this tiny white pine would survive. Lighthouse Lake may have surrounded this point but that water was not available to the ancient tree or its sibling offspring. Everyone needs to put down some roots in order to be safe and to survive.