One of my favorite things about winter is the bareness of the branches.  That may seem strange, I’m sure most people prefer trees full of lively green or technicolor orange.  But I love the transparency that the stripped limbs bring.  We can see much farther into the forest, the shapes of the individual branches become more apparent.  These paintings by Los Angeles artist Marie Thiebault reminded me of the tangles of spartan boughs outside my window.

 

Although much of Thiebault’s work may be inspired by places of abandonment and destruction, I see a parallel between those and the winter season.  Not in a negative way, of course, winter is my favorite!  But in how those types of places often cause a hushed reverence, such as the quiet of a snowfall.  Shadows grow long and deep and the noise of life is muffled.

To see more of Marie Thiebault‘s work, please visit her website.

All images are via the artist’s website.