Illustration
The Tree
This piece is hand-drawn with pen. Even though the details are simple, the sheer amount of leaves and tiny marks draws you into look closer. The image of a tree was inspired by the relationship I have with my wife. You can read the story behind the piece below.
The entire piece came from my imagination. Using different vines and flowers and sizes of leaves gives it a fun personality.
Before I ever started dating my wife, we were really good friends. For 2 years we hung out and experienced a lot of life together. We learned a lot about each other and enjoyed every minute of it. I asked her out and we went on our first date. Right away it felt natural and easy. So much so that we both said ‘I love you’ after 3 days. At that point though, it was concerning that we didn’t have the foundation for a relationship going so deep so quickly. But that was the moment God spoke to us about our relationship and gave us this picture of a tree.
What we realized is that our relationship wasn’t something that we had to build. It wasn’t dependent on our ability or skill to work. Our relationship was a tree. A living, growing thing. Something that will continue to grow and get better the more we nurture it.
And like a tree, our relationship started long before we could see anything. Our friendship over 2 years had grown roots deep into the ground and this moment we started dating was the moment our tree had broken through the ground.
2 weeks into dating, I wrote my wife a poem. It was about our tree that has been growing underneath the surface for so long already and is now beginning to grow above ground and into the sky.
When we got engaged, I wrote her a second volume of that poem. At this point, our love had grown tremendously and our tree has reached a new level of health and growth. This version of the tree is what this artwork is portraying. A tall, healthy, strong tree that brings life to others around it and is blooming with life in itself.
THE TREE vol. II
Many days underneath
Have made possible many above
Many sunny, rainy, perfect days
Quiet and dark were the beginning
But only so
Roots have found their footing
What was once small
Is now bursting into the day
It's not quiet anymore
There's life everywhere
Branches dancing in the light
Leaves bursting with excitement
Miles in the dark have become miles in the sky
With nothing to stop it
This tree will grow beyond our wildest dreams
Reaching higher
Growing deeper