Stumps and needles in the woods
Acrylic on masonite, 21 7/8 x 28 in. (1997)

Timeless re-cycling, acidic needles leaching into reddened soil, stumps yielding to decay . . . such is the forest, complexity upon complexity in its abundance of life, death and re-birth.

Having tripped over many a rotting stump, I sometimes wonder if they ever actually decay completely. Some go on to become the nesting pots of the same or other species.

Imagine if trees could own property like humans? They seem to get along with each other well enough, though they are locked into constant competition reaching for the sky and the glorious sunlight.