rowan overlooking a valley . art noveau styled mixed media

i loved making this so much!
i love trees.
and i love Tolkien-esque Art Noveau inspired art.

additionally, our world is a bit of a mess, so the timing is right to make something …pretty.

The tree depicted is a Rowan Tree.
this is a tree of great mythic and mystical significance in Norse and Celtic culture/mythology, very much considered a tree of power and protection.
the word ‘rowan’ may be derived from the Old Norse word for tree, and maybe related to the word rune. rowan wood was a likely traditional choice for carved runes used for casting.
in the Celtic Ogham, it’s letter is ‘L’ for ‘Luis’.

a rowan tree bares white blossoms that yield bright red berries, which are used to make jam. the leaves are pinnate and grow in symmetrical pairs.
one myth, this one from Greece, tells of how the goddess of youth carelessly allowed her magic chalice to be taken by demons. the gods sent an eagle to reclaim it. In the fight, the eagle shed feathers and droplets of blood, which fell to earth and turned into a rowan tree. that is why the leaves are shaped like feathers and the berries are red as blood.

my depiction is very stylized, but the shape of the tree is similar to those that grow at higher altitudes on windy hilltops. many rowan trees have branches that sweep toward the sky, like flames.
it is an art board, with relief.
acrylic paint, the trunk is metallic gold.
the bright drops of color in the branches, whether you see them as berries or leaves, are individually applies droplets of epoxy resin.
this measures 8×10 excluding the cord and hangs by a silk cord. (tack not included.)