About Still Standing

Still Standing, 8"x6" watercolor framed to 14"x11", $280

​Very close to where I live lies a small old graveyard shaded by an enormous ancient sugar maple, the final resting place for a Revolutionary War veteran and members of his family.
 
I often wonder what the land I've lived on for the past 10 years looked like 50, 100, 200 or more years ago, being where it is, placed on the map of this country's history. And I think about all the people that inhabited this place over the centuries, settled, struggled, hunted and farmed here, established their families, lived and died here.
 
The tree is a living testimony to history and change, partly damaged by the ravages of time, somehow still standing with a full canopy of leaves. It has played a role in the ever-changing landscape, very likely being the progenitor of much of the sugar bush throughout the surrounding woodlands - a symbol of longevity and resilience.

---