The Lawrence Tree, Kiowa Ranch outside of Taos, New Mexico, February 2007, photo © 2007 – 2008 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
ponderosa heart
O’Keeffe shrouded leaves with stars
standing on her head
-posted on red Ravine, Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
-related to post, haiku (one-a-day)
-inspired by post, lack of oxygen haiku
The picture and the haiku capture the look of the tree limbs. In a park not far from where I live huge sycamore trees shoot heavenward with their white bark and spread limbs. I have taken pictures of them standing against the trunk of the tree and hoping that I don’t fall over before I snap the photo. The branches look just like hair.
LikeLike
I have always wanted to see this famous tree. How did it feel to stand underneath it, soaking up the same view as Georgia had?
LikeLike
QM, the photo and haiku are just beautiful. Thank you.
In Colorado and Wyoming, the ponderosa pines are being ravaged and killed by a bark beetle, which has over-populated during the past unusually warm winters. I’ve heard predictions that we will lose them all. It is especially lovely at this time to see such a huge grandmother tree.
LikeLike
Really wonderful, QM. It is an amazing tree.
I like how you put a thick border around it. Reminds me of the O’Keeffe poster with the DH Lawrence Tree.
breathepeace, we are starting to see the ponderosa pines affected in NM, too. First it was the pinons. When we went to the Pecos Mountains two weekends ago, Jim and I noticed the dying ponderosas.
LikeLike
Absolutely lovely shot QM…nice cropping. I have always loved this tree. You should show the comparison to the painting.
I have to let you in on a little secret. The Lawrence Tree painting from 1929, shown on the internet and in many books after Georgia’s death, depicts the tree as if you were standing under it and looking up (as in your photo). In actuality, she painted it upside down where the trunk extends downward from the upper left corner. If I remember right, she hung over that little bench almost upside down to paint it. Rotate your photo 180 degrees and you will see it as she did long ago.
There’s another amusing story about her traveling to a very well known, prosperous museum in the US to see one of her paintings…alas my memory can’t tell me which painting. But when the Curator came to meet her, she informed him “it would look better hung in the direction it was painted”.
It makes me wonder how many other famous paintings and photographs are being displayed in the wrong direction because the Artists are no longer around to correct it…
LikeLike
nice–liked this
LikeLike
Just read “The Rocking Horse Winner” with my Brit Lit students (both of them) this week. We got a big kick out of it. I pointed out how some scholars feel it is a story of the Oedipus complex. They kind of got creeped out about that. It was a fun lesson. I think they really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it.
I also pointed out how D.H. was cool because he hung out in New Mexico. How cool is that?
Sad about the Ponderosas. Damn you beetles!
LikeLike
Bob, the sycamores are beautiful trees. The way their bark is so textured and the low branches. I love trees. It’s challenging to shoot them in new ways, from different angles.
Sinclair, it felt wonderful. I was so aware when we were walking that land of whose footsteps had also walked there over 80 years ago. All that creative energy. It’s a very peaceful place. The wind talks there by way of the trees.
breathepeace, so sorry to hear about the ponderosas in Wyoming. Is there anything they can do for them? I became fond of the giant poderosas when I lived in Montana.
We’ve had so many elms wiped out here from Dutch elm disease. Beautiful huge trees that line the parkways and lakes. (In the last Louise Erdrich book I read, she mentions how the elms were sacred.) They are common trees but beautiful. And sometimes taken for granted. But when you lose a 100-year-old elm, you really start to take notice.
LikeLike
mimbresman, Lawrence definitely had a vision for his creative life that he took to New Mexico. I always got the feeling he wasn’t a happy man though (and have read of his many issues with women). I’m not surprised his work has been interpreted along Oedipus complex lines. Yet I met a woman once who just loved his work. She grew up in Korea in the 50’s and had read Korean translations of his novels. She was quite taken with him. Did you enjoy the The Rocking Horse Winner? I think it was made into a film, too, wasn’t it?
LikeLike
ybonesy, sorry to hear about the ponderosas in New Mexico, too. That makes me so sad. I like the poster-like quality of the edging, too. That poster hangs in the entry to the O’Keeffe room at Mabel Dodge.
scot, thank you!
heather, you always seem to know so much about Georgia and her life. She must be one of your mentors. I drove all the way to Chicago in the 80’s to see a show of her work. It was completely packed and there were long lines. Of course, since then, I’ve been to the O’Keeffe museum in New Mexico a few times. Something about viewing her work there in NM that creates a new understanding of it.
BTW, I put a link to the actual O’Keeffe painting in the 3rd line of the haiku. I didn’t know how she wanted it hung until I saw the Wadsworth museum’s text on the painting. You are absolutely right — upside down! I thought of that last night when I was posting this. I was wishing I had rotated it and put the trunk at the top.
I love reading tidbits like that about art work. It does make you wonder how many paintings (and photographs) are hung incorrectly because the artist is no longer around to tell the curators which way is up! 8)
I’m adding the link to O’Keeffe’s painting of the Lawrence tree here as well:
The Lawrence Tree by Georgia O’Keeffe at the Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT (LINK)
LikeLike
I am really not a Lit teacher, but was asked to teach this British Literature course when the first teacher had to leave the country (the foibles of teaching overseas). The “Rocking Horse Winner” is really good. My high school students enjoyed it. It was one of the better, more enjoyable pieces we read (though they really enjoyed reading Macbeth as well). The story ends badly for little Paul, but the course is ending on a positive note. 🙂
LikeLike
mimbresman, maybe some of the best lit teachers aren’t lit teachers. 8) There’s so much to be said for a fresh approach from someone that might be tackling a piece of literature for the first time. Sounds like you all enjoyed the Rocking Horse Winner. Always good to end a course on a positive note!
LikeLike
QoinMonkey – remarkable photo of this venerable tree. It is interesting to see a photo capture and compare it to G O’Keeffe’s and note the simplifications she made as a necessity to showing the tree’s character. of course, in the intervening years, this tree has become more complex, when seen from the same vantage point, and your photo shows the aging tree. i love the idea that one can lie down and view the world from a horizontal and unusual point of view, and that is the gift of artists like O’Keeffe, who was much influenced by the photographer’s art (Stieglitz et al) in exploring vision from unexpected vantage. So much of how we nowadays accept imagery of varieties of view points is dependent on the development of camera work, as well as technology.
You haiku nails this understanding. Lovely! G
LikeLike
G., thanks. I was noticing that, too, the way Georgia took creative license in the painting to simplify the tree and capture its true essence. In that way, she kind of captured its soul. And long after the tree is gone, it will live on in her paintings and in unusual angled photographs of the Lawrence Tree.
When I wrote the haiku, I couldn’t figure out why I used the word “leaves” when the ponderosa has needles. But then I looked at O’Keeffe’s painting again and realized I had subconsciously associated the way she painted the needles (as leaves) to the actual tree. It was eye-opening to discover that!
On your comment:
i love the idea that one can lie down and view the world from a horizontal and unusual point of view, and that is the gift of artists like O’Keeffe, who was much influenced by the photographer’s art (Stieglitz et al) in exploring vision from unexpected vantage. So much of how we nowadays accept imagery of varieties of view points is dependent on the development of camera work, as well as technology.
I can really appreciate your perspective on the way photography changed the way artists worked with paint — well, in every medium. The invention of the camera changed everything. And O’Keeffe’s close association with Alfred Stieglitz, considered by some the father of modern photography, had to have influenced the angles she painted from. Stieglitz fought some of the first battles to make photography an art form. He also exhibited O’Keeffe in his Gallery 291.
Great connections between photography and art, G. I’m grateful to Stieglitz for his vision and dedication to photography, photographers, artists, and his work.
Here are a couple of Stieglitz links that might be of interest to people:
Alfred Stieglitz Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum – photographs of O’Keeffe (LINK)
Lee Gallery – Alfred Stieglitz vintage photographs (LINK)
Here’s a blurb from the Lee Gallery. And check out the Stieglitz photos at the link above:
LikeLike
Well QM, you are always so thorough…had I opened my eyes, I would have seen that link! Good woman!
I went to Georgia’s show in Los Angeles and I found it so funny that people stood really far away from her paintings to view them. Alot of her work is pretty small in scale…like her famous red poppy on her stamp. I like to see the brush strokes myself! 😉
LikeLike
heather, I was completely surprised when I realized how small most of O’Keeffe’s paintings were. I’m with you — I like to get really close up to a painter’s work.
I did the same thing with the Frida Kahlo work at the Walker that Liz and I went to see. The guards always get nervous when I’m around because I like to stand really close to art and drink in the details.
Last night I was at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for a panel discussion on the state of the arts in Minnesota. Afterwards, we were strolling in the permanent collection and I was taking in the details of all the Buddhas and Kwan Yins from somewhere in th AD period. Beautiful. 8)
LikeLike
HA! Remind me to not ever go to a gallery with you. They’d toss the two of us out before we got to the second viewing wall!
LikeLike
QM..I so understand about wanting to get close to the work. I want to see the brush strokes and feel the energy of the artist!
Thank you for sharing the image of the tree. Did you feel her spirit energy while there?
LikeLike
heather, well, at least we’d hit the ground running together. 8)
gypsy-heart, thank you. Yes, I definitely felt her energy. And that of all the other writers and artists who walked along those trails and under those trees. I could not help but think back to the land, too, when only the Ancient Ones lived there. No wooden structures. No motor vehicles. Timelessness. I have visited there twice now. The wind really does whisper through the pines. And there is a sense of being connected to something much, much older than all of us. The land holds everything that has ever lived there.
LikeLike
[…] pine outside the Lawrence cabin and immortalized it in paint forever. Would you rather read about the Lawrence Tree? Or touch its barky skin, slide your feet through the pine needle beds beneath it, stare upside down at the New Mexico stars […]
LikeLike
We had a free afternoon today at Mabel Dodge, and I drove a carload of silent writers to D.H. Lawrence’s Ranch. I was astonished and astounded by the beauty–the little cabins–Georgia’s tree–the shrine with Lawrence’s ashes cemented into the concrete. Natalie had just told us that Mabel gave him the land in exchange for his manuscript Sons and Lovers (I think that was the one). When I saw the ranch, I think D.H. got the deal. With that view, with that solitude, with that caliber of friends around–he’d easily be able to churn out another novel. It is exactly the sort of place I dream of having for myself. Ahhhh….sigh….
LikeLike
Teri, what a treat to hear that you went there. I loved especially the little cabin in which Dorothy Brett wrote. Am I remembering that right, QM? I have such a poor memory for attaching people to places.
I wanted to say that when this post loaded, the first I noticed in the image of Georgia’s tree was a purplish light coming through the branches in the right-hand corner of the photo. I think it might be an orb. It looks to be roundish. Not sure if anyone else can see it. Take a look.
LikeLike
p.s., You’re right, Teri, about the car being liberating.
LikeLike
Teri, I’m so happy you got to see Kiowa. Yeah, Mabel gave it to D. H. and Frieda for Sons and Lovers. I think it (Sons & Lovers) later got sold to someone’s psychologist. I love the little links of history. It’s very peaceful up there, looking out over the mountains. Do you remember what range that is in the distance? I can’t remember right now.
ybonesy, OMG, I never noticed that orb before you pointed it out. Was that always there or did it appear since I posted this? Strange. I think it’s an orb, too. What if it’s Georgia? 8)
Oh, yeah, it’s Dorothy Brett’s little cabin behind the Lawrence’s cabin. You know I don’t think I’ve ever uploaded a photograph of her cabin. But I remember every detail of the inside of it. I did take this one of her blue chair and table:
Dorothy Brett’s Blue Chair (LINK)
LikeLike
Here’s a post about Frieda Lawrence, too. She was an interesting character. And the relationship between Dorothy Brett, Mabel Dodge, and Frieda — I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. 8) D.H. — I get the feeling he was a little rough around the edges. Not sure he would have been good friend material.
Frieda Lawrence – ‘Til Death Do We Part (LINK)
LikeLike
One of the books we’ve read for this session is Death Comes For the Archbishop. Willa Cather wrote it; it’s the story of the Catholic Church in New Mexico in the 1800s. The story is fictional, but there many accurate pieces of history scattered throughout. One of the characters is Father Martinez, a powerful character in New Mexico’s history. We’re going on a group field trip this afternoon to see his Hacienda.
I, too, loved Dorothy Brett’s cabin. I want Dorothy Brett’s cabin, or one just like it.
LikeLike
We read that in high school, Teri. I would love to read it again.
Ah, the Martinez Hacienda in Ranchos. My aunt lives right across from there. Have you been to the church in Ranchos de Taos? It’s famous, of course, from O’Keeffe and others painting it. I hope you got to stop by.
LikeLike
We went to the church in Ranchos de Taos after the Martinez Hacienda. It was great to be in silence at both places.
I have traveled more in Taos (and the surrounding area) this trip than any other time I’ve been here. I have a whole new appreciation for New Mexico. In fact, I can see how someone from New Mexico would be just as attached to their state as someone from Minnesota is. This is high praise, indeed. 🙂
LikeLike
Sounds wonderful, Teri. I’ve never seen the Martinez Hacienda, but I remember the church in Ranchos de Taos well. In the early 90’s, long, long before I ever took a writing workshop in Taos, I went with some photography students to New Mexico and other points in the 4 Corners area. The professor leading the workshop had lived and gone to school in New Mexico for quite some time but moved to New York to teach at RIT.
It was a wonderful photography trip and we visited a lot of out of the way places we had to hike to get into. But one of my favorites was seeing the church at Ranchos de Taos. Because the day we were there, they were doing their annual mudding of the church. They showed me the whole process from sifting the sand, to the end product – adobe.
I met an Elder, a Grandmother, who was teaching her granddaughter how to mud. She said I could photograph their process and I got some wonderful hand shots of the two. I was taking black and white negative photos that day. I ended up doing a photo show at MCAD as part of getting credit for that trip. And the church photos definitely made the cut. I’ll never forgot the wonderful people there.
That trip changed me. I didn’t know any of the students before I went, people from all over the country. And we camped out most of the time. I spent a lot of time alone and in silence out in nature. New Mexico is truly a spiritual place. Can’t wait to hear more of your stories.
LikeLike
[…] The thing about cemetery trees is that they are many times old growth trees, never to be cut. I like to think this pine is a guardian for my grandparents, its long roots extending deep underground, branches tall and proud (reminds me of another pine in New Mexico that I’m quite fond of, the Lawrence Tree). […]
LikeLike
[…] Birthday Celebration, A Journey For Bill, A Taste Of Ghost Ranch, Bats, Beautiful Bats!, the lawrence tree haiku, Natural Wonders: A Pentagram, Frieda Lawrence – ‘Til Death Do We […]
LikeLike
[…] over the years. There is the giant cottonwood in the courtyard of the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, and the Lawrence Tree that Georgia O’Keeffe painted just outside of Taos, New Mexico. ybonesy has written about the cottonwood in her backyard and the […]
LikeLike
[…] into Taos. Some will walk the morada, visit the graves of Mabel and Frieda, soak up places that Georgia walked on her first visits to New Mexico. Notebooks will be filled with Writing Practices, later to […]
LikeLike
[…] During the Ice Age, Joshua trees grew strong across the American Southwest. According to an NPR article, in the 1930s, scientists explored Gypsum Cave outside of Las Vegas where they found parts of skeletons, hides, and hair from the giant ground sloth — an animal that had been extinct for 13,000 years. In layers of the sloth’s dung, there was evidence that Joshua trees were a favorite food of the sloth — leaves and seeds and fruits. When the desert turns dry as a bone, the only way animals like as the antelope ground squirrel, desert wood rat, and blacktail jack rabbit find moisture is by gnawing through the bark of live trees. The Joshua tree is one of the “great canteens of the desert.” What would we do without ancient trees? […]
LikeLike
[…] Avenue bridge in Minneapolis. On a trip to New Mexico, I stood under the Lawrence tree painted by Georgia O’Keeffe at Kiowa Ranch. In Georgia, my mother and I talked family history under a ginkgo by the Old […]
LikeLike