Tree Hug

 

Barb Gregoire tree vase

 Barb Gregoire tree vase

 

 

Trees have commanded a reoccurring presence in many artworks, both landscape and portrait, whether it be  as a central figure or in a supporting role. Their majestic grandeur is hard to ignore in a landscape and they have often been integrated into an aspect of the storyline, for example, reflecting a graceful solitude or conversely a stoic hardness.

Landscape scenes were popular with Chinese porcelain art, the willow, plum trees and bamboo were especially featured. Japanese decorative pottery arts favored flowering blossom and pine trees. As a spiritual and religious symbol, the Tree Of Life was represented almost invariably in all ancient cultures, and it had an ongoing presence in ancient arts. The Art Nouveau movement had botanical and nature themes interwoven through most of its designs, the free flowing shapes adapting easily to rounded pottery forms. The typically vertical orientation of vases and bottles were also a natural fit for decorative tree art.
I don’t have any doubts about the sacred reputation of some trees. I find the spiritual resonance of an oak tree to be quite palpable, refreshing, invigorating and refined.  Hermann Hesse summed it up aptly in Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte.

“ For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfil themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. “

The cedar tree was sacred to many ancient cultures like the Egyptians and for them it was associated with Osiris. The Bodhi tree was sacred in Buddhism as the Buddha received key insights when he sat underneath the tree and attained his final state of  Nirvana (Self Enlightenment) there.

 

 

Moriyoshi Saekia ceramic vessel with landscape vista of tress and a mountain kasakayugallery.com

Moriyoshi Saekia

kasakayugallery.com

 

 

Debbie Barber

 Debbie Barber Ceramics

 

 

Teresa Wooden - Stone Forest Pottery

 Teresa Wooden – Stone Forest Pottery

 

 

Terance Painter - Piedmont Craftsmen

Terance Painter jar – Piedmont Craftsmen

 

 

Claire Basler Barbotine 29

Claire Basler –  Barbotine 29

Belgium

 

 

Chinese carved Lapis lazuli panel

 Chinese  Lapis lazuli carved panel

 

 

French Art Nouveau ceramic vase by Emile Galle

 A French Art Nouveau ceramic vase by Emile Gallé, featuring a Japoniste styled sculpting of a bamboo stalk handle.

 

 

 

Amphora Austria Scenic Motif Vase

 Amphora Austria Scenic Motif Vase

 

 

 

Amphora Ceramic Monumental Blow Out Portrait Vase

 Amphora ceramic monumental blow out portrait vase

 

 

 

 

Anna Lambert Swallow Bowl

Anna Lambert Swallows in Flight Bowl

 

 

 

 

Ann RobinsonTree forest vessel

Ann Robinson Tree forest vessel

 

 

 

 

Antiqu Japanese Banko ware carved vase

Antique Japanese Banko ware carved 3D scenic vase

 

 

 

Arthur-W

 

20th Century American art pottery Rockwood vase by Frederick Hurten Rhead

( fetched $516k at David Rago Auctions  in 2006 )

 

 

 

Beth Tarkington colourful vase

Beth Tarkington – Alive in the Dark of the Night

 

 

 

Moriyoshi Saekia Japanese ceramics

Moriyoshi Saekia

kasakayugallery.com

 

Calco bookends

Calco bookends

( Treadway Toomey Galleries )

 

 

Daum Nancy vase

Daum vase, Nancy France

 

 

 

Carol Alleman Trinity

Carol Alleman  ‘Trinity’

 

 

Eddie Dominguez Grasslands

Eddie Dominguez – ‘Grasslands’

 

 

Moriyoshi Saekia etched tree vessel

Moriyoshi Saekia

kasakayugallery.com

 

 

'Fountain of the Water Nymph Rookwood Pottery Company, Cincinnati Art Museum

‘Fountain of the Water Nymph’ Rookwood Pottery Company

Cincinnati Art Museum

 

 

 

Cedric & Christy Brown tree vase

Cedric & Christy Brown tree vase

 

 

 

 

Chickadee jar Ray Makie and Debra Kuzyk

Chickadee jar  – Ray Makie and Debra Kuzyk

 

 

 

DeerVaseLuckyRabbitPottery

‘Deer Vase’ – Lucky Rabbit Pottery

 

 

 

 

Fairyland Lustre Ship and Tree Vase

Fairyland Lustre Ship and Tree Vase

 

 

 

 

Chinese hand painted porcelain vessels

Chinese hand painted porcelain vessels

 

Zhou Guozhen Ceramic Owl

Owl Figurine by Zhou Guozhen, China

 

 

 

French Limoges Enamel Vase with a realistic landscape scene

 

French Limoges Enamel Vase with a realistic landscape scene

 

 

 

 

Glass vase decorated with a landscape in ochre, green and black, etched and cut French, Lunéville, by Muller Frère

Glass vase decorated with a landscape in ochre, green and black, etched and cut French, Lunéville, by Muller Frère

 

 

Bonsai Bear GalleryBonsaiFocus.com

 

 

 

 

Moriyoshi Saekia kasakayugallery.com

Moriyoshi Saekia  kasakayugallery.com

 

 

 

 

Janet De Boos bottle

Janet De Boos bottle

 

 

 

 

Jiangxi-Wu PorcelainBottle

Jiangxi Wu –  Porcelain Bottle

 

 

 

 

Dennis-O'ConnorVaseTumblers

 Dennis O’Connor Vase and Tumblers

( Shapiro Auctions )

 

 

 

Michael Bauermeister---Green Offering -linden with paint and stain

Michael Bauermeister — Green Offering -linden wood with paint and stain

 

 

 

 

Modern shelves with a tree theme

Modern shelves with a tree theme

 Maria Yasko

 

 

 

Newtone-Pottery-Glazed-vase-with-hand-painted-decoration-of-a-koala-in-a-gum-tree

Tree Hugger

Newtone Pottery glazed vase with a hand painted decoration of a koala in a gum tree, stamped on base and signed ‘Hand Painted’, attributed to Daisy Merton

Daisy-Merton--1889-1972--…---The-Collection-of-Graham---Elizabeth-Cocks---Part-2--Day1---Bonhams---Antiques-Reporter

Daisy Merton (1889-1972), Newtone Pottery glazed ovoid vase, circa 1935, painted with gumtrees by a river, signed DV Merton, 21 cm high

 

 

 

 

Pair of Legras Parrot vases

 

Pair of Legras Parrot vases

 

 

 

 

Pink Kiss Pottery mug on Etsy

Pink Kiss Pottery mug on Etsy

 

 

 

 

Rika Herbst ceramic dish

Rika Herbst ceramic dish

 

 

 

 

Rika Herbst Ou Lettere

Rika Herbst  – Ou Lettere

 

 

 

Roelna Louw sculpture

 

Roelna Louw Africa series sculpture

 

 

 

 

 

Tim Bassett’s hand blown glass vase

 

Tim Bassett –  hand blown glass vase

 

 

 

 

Graceful-American-Bronze and Geode Tree Sculpture by Belva Ball (1933-2009)

 

Bronze and Geode Tree Sculpture by Belva Ball (1933-2009)

 

 

 

 

George Lafayette sculpture

George Lafayette sculpture

 

 

 

Roseville Pottery -- Della Robbia Wisconsin Art Pottery Association

 

Roseville Pottery — Della Robbia Wisconsin Art Pottery Association

 

 

 

 

Royal Winton - Grimwades -Byzanta-Lidded-Bowl

 

Royal Winton – Grimwades -Byzanta Lidded Bowl

 

 

 

 

Sheila Richards Tree Of Life

 

Sheila Richards –  Tree Of Life

 

 

 

 

Stephanie Young vase

Stephanie Young vase

 

 

 

 

Sticks and Stones Studio teapot

Jan Kolenda – Sticks and Stones Studio teapot, Florida

 

 

 

 

Patrick-Dragon-(Marquette,-MI)---clay arts

Patrick Dragon — Dragon Clay Studio

 

 

 

Patrick-Dragon--Dragon-Clay-Studio

Patrick Dragon — Dragon Clay Studio

 

 

 

 

Stoneware-Sparrow-Sculpture-on-a-rainy-blue-day-B-MHandcrafted-Ceramic-Sparrow-Sculpture-from-Andersen-Studio

Ceramic Sparrow Sculpture from Andersen Studio

 

 

 

Wedgwood lustre tall vase V&A

Wedgwood Fairyland lustreware tall vase designed by Daisy Makeig-Jones , 1923

V&A

 

 

4 Comments

  1. Posted April 28, 2014 at 10:00 am | Permalink

    This is a wonderful series of work “Tree Hug” Allison

  2. Posted April 28, 2014 at 10:01 am | Permalink

    wonderful!! Allison

  3. sue barstow
    Posted April 28, 2014 at 4:53 pm | Permalink

    This display of Beautiful pottery shows fine artistry and an exceptional closeness to nature . a pleasure to see such work. congrats

  4. Posted October 21, 2016 at 9:46 pm | Permalink

    Thanks for such a wonderful blog! It continues to be a great resource when I am teaching. I love the way that you follow a theme from past to present artists. I also find it inspiring in my own work. Bravo! JoAnn

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