Martha Shade "Trees Are Poems"

Martha Shade (WA)

Trees Are Poems
hand-stitched cotton thread on fabric 
24" x 16" (plus frame)
ready to hang
*Available in-house at Ghost Gallery, available for local pickup or shipping

"The subject of 'Trees Are Poems' is a response to my deep sadness about the desecration of Palestinian olive trees since 1967, both officially by the state of Israel and by its illegal settlers. Thousands are destroyed each year and it is estimated that between 800,000 and 1,000,000 trees have been uprooted, burned, and cut down. Their destruction is a huge part of the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine and has been compared to the destruction of the buffalo in the genocide of Native Americans. This ongoing devastation is also a tragedy for the entire world: these beautiful trees belonged to the planet, a heritage that is lost to of all of us, and included some of the oldest Olive trees that are believed to be from a lineage mentioned in the Old Testament. 'Trees Are Poems' is not a portrait of any particular person. I intended the figure to personify an Archetypal Feminine, mourning the loss of nature and the suffering imposed on a whole culture."
Learn more about Martha HERE