Creative Spirit Blog August 17, 2025 The Power of Symbolism

Tree of Life Acrylic on textured surface

“Some say the creative life is in ideas, some say it is in doing. It seems in most instances to be in simply being…It is the love of something, having so much love for something – whether a person, a word, an image, an idea, the land or humanity – that all one can do with the overflow is to create” Clarissa Pinkola Estes from “Women Who Run with the Wolves”

We all have something in our lives that motivates us to do things that say something about who we are, what we believe, what is important to us. For me it is nature and its continuing cycle of change.  The artwork I produce is often a reflection of something in nature or mankind’s interaction with the natural world.

This past week I sold one of the few last pieces I have left from a series I did several years ago for a solo show, “What Lies Beneath”. The thought process for this textural series was to move through the corridors of time in our geologic history and show that beneath the surface of the earth there are layers of history that need to be remembered. That the layers that lay below the ground we walk on hold secrets of our past, and deposits of precious resources.

I know the painting is in a good home because the purchaser is also a tree lover.  When I wrote and thanked her for her purchase, I mentioned that that painting held special meaning to me.  She asked if I would share that with her. Then I thought that writing about the use of symbols in my art might make an interesting blog for this month.

Symbols have been part of the art process since the beginning of time. The symbols I used in this painting were the “Tree of Life” and the spiral, both of which represents growth and and change.

From ancient cave paintings to contemporary installations, artists use symbolic imagery to convey ideas, emotions, and values. These hidden meanings transform a simple object or figure into something profound, inviting viewers to look beyond the surface and engage with a much deeper narrative. When symbols are used in art, the work becomes much more thought provoking and impactful. There’s more to interpret, and a bigger impact can be made.  They represent something beyond their literal meaning. Symbols can be many things.  Two that I repeatedly use are trees and the spiral.

Why the tree and the spiral?  One of my earliest memories is of playing in my grandmother’s backyard.  It was a postage stamp of a yard, in the middle of Brooklyn, not more than a block from the elevated subway.  In the back corner grew an enormous Ailanthus tree. I played under that tree making broken pieces of concrete into many imaginable things.  My thought then, as a child, was that trees must be very strong if their roots could break through concrete. Thus started my love and wonder of trees.  They became a symbol of strength for me.  Ironically the Ailanthus tree is known as “The Tree of Heaven” for its ability to grow in poor conditions, even out of concrete and it is a symbol of resilience and endurance.  Since that time, I have had many different trees in my life that have held special meaning.

For me trees represent the journey of life. They provide a majestic example of strength and perseverance. They represent growth, immortality, and interconnectedness. They’re essential to the air we breathe. They are good for the soul. Trees like the spiral I frequently use represent a continuum of the life cycle.

My art represents who I am and what I love, from the sometime playful to the serious. We each need to find what motivates us and work from our core.

Have a creative month and enjoy expressing what has meaning for you. Carolyn