Lilian Cooper weir farm national historic site, connecticut
“I am a site-specifıc artist. My choice of medium is part of my response to the place I’m in.”
Although I live in a city now, I grew up in a tiny village in rural England, so I have always enjoyed being still and quiet in nature. My idea of fun is to look at trees! One of the reasons I like them is that they are, for many of us living in urban environments, the only thing that reminds us of the time of year—or sometimes even the weather. I catch myself watching branches wave in the wind to decide if I need a scarf. I’m working on a project that’s about the life and death and the husbandry of
trees. With climate change, trees are much more susceptible to disease. In the U.K., for example, they recently discovered the arrival of ash dieback, which has already killed up to 90 percent of ash trees in Denmark. So I think it’s particu- larly important now to make people aware of the beauty and the vulnerability of trees, of that dual nature—both solid and fragile, although they look immensely strong and as if they will be there forever. I had completed a residency at Weir Farm nearly a decade ago, and it remains
the best place I know to draw American trees. I returned for a second residency specifically for the American white oak, and to study disease in beech roots and beech trees. Weir Farm is a small park, and in a way it emphasizes just how important parks are: as you walk the grounds you actually edge the bottom of other people’s gardens. It’s a peculiar experience, and it makes you realize the value of the park to the people who use it. They seem so happy, and you can tell they feel, “This is my park.” It’s great to be a part of it. One day during my residency I met a man who was walking his dog. Dogs
are always curious about me when I’m working—I’m often kneeling with two meters of paper rolled out on the ground, which is odd behavior, really—so they stopped and the man asked me what I was drawing. When I had explained, he told me that he walked past that spot every day but had never noticed the tree I was drawing. He said, “You’ve made me look. You’ve given me a different eye.” I thought that was the most wonderful com- pliment. I thought, if I can do that for somebody, even if it’s only one person, that’s a tremendous privilege.
TPL.ORG · 51
pat clark
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