There’s is a willow tree in the communal yard. It cannot be seen from inside the apartment. I sneak peeks of it when leaving & returning home. Since I’ve been on a tree painting-kick, I wanted to squeeze in a sub-series of this wonderfully witchy tree.

Three willow tree paintings by Diazee, 2022.

My feeling is the weeping willow is a well known tree, yes? Which brings comfort and has been said to bring good luck. It is dreamy and ghoulish when it sweeps the earth gently with its long tassels. The one in the yard isn’t near any bodies of water, so I’m curious of its relationship with the moon, under such circumstances. It is busy and dancing and wailing nonetheless. A comforting calm sadness.

Speaking of the moon, it’s nice to be able to see it again. I get the doldrums when I’m not creating art. Before I disappeared mid summer, I rearranged my work area. Cozy corner of the common room. Yes the dining room table is now used for eating again. & yes I’m working with the same wobbly drafting table; my main space. It’s made of some kind of wood (maybe chips, ha), but it’s not willow.

As of late, the work I’ve created is filled with mixed media. & I’d like to point out I have a thing with Japanese supplies. & I’ve been craving veggie futomaki.. for years, darling, for years…. In fact, I took Japanese language lessons for three years, but haven’t been able to use it much at all. Yet! Earlier this summer, my son played in a pool for the first time and soaked with two children who were visiting from Japan to see their American Grandmother. I was conversing with lady who was watching co-watching over the pool & the three kiddos. We squinted at each other a lot. Hot sunshine. The granddaughter exchanged a bit in Japanese with me. She told me her name before anyone asked and soon after pointed to our boy, “has he been baptized yet?”

Close up of Happy Tears Willow.

In Japan the willow tree symbolizes the female persona: „kind loving and bending with the situation”. How fantastic is that? Maybe she’s a little jazzy and sassy, too? I feel this relationship with the idea of the willow in this way; it makes sense to me. Somehow it seems there’s always an everlasting loom of sadness. & a soft quiet in the presence of the tree.

The Weeping Mother and Moaning Witch Willow side by side.

In retrospect, the trees in this series are a surreal self-portrait. A funky freak of a temporary, ghost like friend that seems to always visit randomly, a forever friend.

Many a bit of information seems to seem for me. Seems basketmaking is becoming popular once again somewhere in the world (maybe/possibly) and willow trees provide defining materials for these; baskets and other containers.Something in particular that caught my curiosity as I learned about the tree was their usage for willow coffins, an ancient and environmentally friendly approach.

The whole reason for this project was to find something that was a delicately creepy quiver quickly bringing on a warm anticipation for “more, please?”. These kind of containers (like the willow coffin) are used in green burials wherein the body is placed in a biodegradable parcel and set into the ground. This way the body can decompose fully and return to the dirt -- that it is, by the way, haha.o, wait, or was it stardust? An ancient idea, always ready to be at tip of good conversation.

& how beautiful is that? I wonder what it’s like to decompose into the Earth, the experience of it. Not that I’m jumping for joy for such an experience in my lifetime anytime soon, at all. There’s just something fantastic about a bit of ghostly, delicate talk of death in a jolly way. Maybe the conversation ends in a tone drier than the Sahara, tho. These may be sad topics. I ramble. I’ll let it go.

Oil pastel, ink, and watercolor details of Moaning Witch Willow.

Mostly when I’m alone, and with you, all by myself. I’ve been told fear is cowardly and shows no good character. It can be our secret, that we inevitably and naturally feel fear at some point. I know you’re the same way. It’s really all curious.

These three willow paintings are a subset from a larger collection of tree paintings I’m working away at. I wish to convey to you a dreamlike atmosphere symbolizing finding hope in forgiving death and allowing to feed yourself back into the world.

“The Weeping Mother” safety and respect, and “Moaning Witch Willow” like a siren reminding us of ephemeral history. Something awkward, but irresistible to study; the possibilities we can experience and how much we personally perceive as nature. Not really so pretty, perhaps, definitely fascinating. It’s okej.

Naturally, each willow tree is different; just as each of the three paintings are but all of the same subject. I love all three of them. I used premium materials; watercolor, graphite, ink, and oil pastel on paper for this project.

All three are rich with greens, and accented with yellows and blues. Sprinkles of white.

May you feel energized.

Here’s a short video I put together where I show and tell about the Willow Tree paintings.

When you purchase an artwork, it is directly from the artist. I create, mat, frame, and package the artworks. You can view my current inventory here. If you want to inquire about artwork, or have any questions, you can reach me at hello@diazee.art

Until next time,