STORY BEHIND THE ART OF lucy martin

25th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and Wave Hill

Madrone Branch

Arbutus menziesii

Madrones are among my favorite trees in the Pacific coast forests. Walking through the forests of Northern California, you see many evergreen trees. The woods are all shades of green: bright green to dull gray-green, blue- to yellow-green. Suddenly you may come upon a brilliant red trunk, orange- or purple-red, shining in the dim green light. This is the Pacific madrone, Arbutus menziesii. The dark red outer bark peels off in papery curls to reveal a smooth layer underneath. Sometimes it’s red, sometimes a deep olive-green. The trunk and branches have a twisting look, almost muscular. The satiny texture calls you to touch it.

The Pacific madrone is an important part of the forest ecosystem and provides nesting sites for birds. Many mammal and bird species feed off the tree’s berries produced in the fall, including juncos, American robins, cedar waxwings, band-tailed pigeons, varied thrushes, quail, mule deer, raccoons, ring-tailed cats, and bears.

This particular madrone I have painted was growing at a slant out of a hillside. As the trunk grew, first the curls of outer bark fell away. Then that red layer began to split, revealing gray inner bark underneath, networked with cracks, and dotted with pale green foliose lichen. The smoothness and rich color of the outer layer, a cool, complex red, makes a pleasing contrast with the rough gray and green of the inner bark and lichen.

“Madrone Branch” is a simple composition, showing just a trunk dividing into two crossing branches. I wanted to emphasize the beauty of the color and the smooth, twisting shape of the tree trunk and branches.

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Read more about this artist's work: 24th Annual