Trees and balance

Here is a view from behind the Inn on Sugar Hill, where I will be teaching snowcamp in a couple of weeks. I have a few places left in each of the two workshops, so if you want to go, you still can. OK lets take a closer look at that birch out there.

When you draw figures, you look for the balance in the pose. Often when I was studying drawing with Ives Gammell we would drop a plumb line from the base of the neck to see how the figure balanced. Trees balance too. For instance this tree's trunk leans off to the left, but above, the foliage counters that . Here, look at this picture below that I have drawn on .

There it is, the shape or weight of the foliage is balanced above the "feet" just like in a figure. However trees have an advantage that people don't, roots. So we are not really seeing all of the tree when we look for its balance. Imagine if you could nail a model's shoes to the floor, they could lean in one direction without tipping over. Sometimes trees operate like that.There are windswept places where all of the trees lean at impossible angles. There are also trees that have lost limbs that seem out of balance. Many of those with some time to grow, will attempt to regain balance above their base.