The Alder Series
Short lived and of low commercial value, the alder is often overlooked. I chose the humble alder tree as a symbol of rebuilding and renewal in a new art series.
Alders are pioneer species, able to colonize disturbed land. They have a symbiotic relationship with a beneficial bacteria in their roots, which allows them to “fix” nitrogen - turning nitrogen in the air into fertilizer in the soil. Their sturdy roots stabilize riverbanks and slopes, and give refuge to an increasing diversity of wildlife as the land goes through ecological succession. These heroes of the plant community can flourish in harsh conditions, and make land more habitable for the plants that follow. As we cleaned up a local creek during the early months of the pandemic, I told my kids that their generation will be pioneer species.
I use art to process change, and we experienced a year of change. Later in 2020, as we were processing our family’s international move back to Canada, I smashed dishes and put them back together into mosaics, benefiting Doctors Without Borders.
This, my third series of the pandemic, has me considering the roots of why I love what I do, and the healing power of the forest. I knew the science of alders from forestry school, but exploring their mythology took my alder series in a new direction. As a little girl, my belief that the woods were full of fairies was of the first things that made me love the forest.
I drew pictures of the faeries, and left them gifts in the trees. As l got older, I learned everything I could about the forest. I put myself through forestry school growing seedling spruce and pines in a nursery, and later planting them in northern Alberta for a forest company. I earned a degree in forestry, and then a masters’ in forest genetics. I won an award for my thesis on tree seed handling practices, and put the money toward a new pair of steel toe boots and a compass for my new job. I’ve mapped forests from a helicopter, traced their lineages from the roots, and analyzed their DNA in a lab.
Do I still believe in fairies? As a scientist, I still very much believe that there are secrets in the forest that we don’t know, maybe cannot ever know. When I walk through these alder forests now with my kids, I still add the fairies in my imagination.
As many of you know, I stamp an aspen leaf onto the back of each painting to honour the idea of community and my own roots as a forester. As we settle into our new home in BC, enjoy my new series based on this beautiful and important tree.
This original resin art series features Kathryn’s signature method of magnetic fields to make the fairy circles. It will be released first to her collectors’ email list. Join the list below to be notified when it is ready for release.