Design Statement 

I am fascinated by the beauty of birch trees, particularly in winter storms. Their shape and form against the whites and blues of a winter sky and the curve of their blue and purple shadows on the snow are something I can look at for hours.

I have been painting them in watercolors for over a year now. The way they change the landscape with a minimal amount of color is what I thought I would use to change the image of the ox and make him blend into the environment. The trees are strong and yet flexible, as are the oxen.

He is called “Rooted” because I intend to attach real tree roots to his hooves to continue the illusion that he can blend into his environment.

I plan to acrylic paint the sky over the entire ox and then add the birches on top. I will focus on the turn of the limbs of the trees to camouflage the limbs of the ox, and the black curved lines and stripes on the trees camouflaging the eye and musculature of the animal.  Some of the smaller, darker branches may be built up with modeling paste to give them dimension.

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Rooted