Staying true to the tree theme.
I like the look of
pollarded trees with their thick knotted stumps. I suppose I like them because of the interesting shapes that are created by this style of pruning. It is the polar opposite of pruning a tree to enhance its natural form. And it is a form of pruning rarely seen in North America. The Getty Museum in California has
pollarded trees as part of its landscape design and I have seen individual
pollarded trees here in Toronto, usually on people's front lawns. But not as part of a designed urban landscape. Maybe it would cost too much to prune the trees all the time.
These prints are willow trees in Holland which are pruned every few years to create a crop of supple willow branches. I believe they are pruned just high enough so that the branches aren't eaten, but low enough for easy harvest. Though I wonder if the willow branches are still harvested at all. These small prints are available in my
Etsy shop (magprint.etsy.com). I would like to make a larger print with a number of
pollarded willows receding into the distance in a marshy landscape.