On a trip to France in 2005, I was inspired to begin my “Trees Leaving” series. I was thinking about the threat we are to our environment and remembering Magritte’s floating men in bowler hats. I distort color and form to emphasize sensations often perceived as oppositional: clarity and mystery, excitement and sorrow, beauty and decay. In the “Trees Leaving” series, I also incorporate a touch of humor. I never expected to paint over sixty versions in this series. It has been a journey of exploration and contemplation, evolving with expanding meaning as an expression of grief and the longing for escape. I simultaneously celebrate the splendor that surrounds us while acknowledging its inevitable ruin.