Woodland of Faces

Woodland of Faces, oil paint on wood, 2020

I remember walking through a little woodland and staring in wonder at my surroundings. Everything was so beautiful and green, and there was a light breeze that gave me what I can only describe as a kind of rushing sensation. Near to the entrance of the woodland was an archway of trees. I didn’t know what species they were at the time but now I think some may have been plum trees, or birches, or Norway maples.

But what really stood out to me were the markings on their trunks. I saw loads of eye shapes, which I’d see on a normal day, lots of faint markings that resemble eyes, but that day they were so vivid and so detailed. It was as if there was living, breathing life behind them. Many of them had wrinkles, and they appeared wise; I felt like they were looking at me kindly. One even had a leaf poking out of one of its corners like a green tear drop.

The breeze blew around me again at this point, and I heard all the leaves rustle. I began to feel an electric energy rush through my nervous system, and it seemed as if all the leaves, so vibrant, were rejoicing and dancing. And their energy pulsated into my limbs; it was like I could physically feel—and this is hard for me to explain—a life ‘essence’, or the sensation that not only was I alive but everything else was alive too. It felt like life was sprouting within every inch of the earth (which, of course, it always is just we don’t usually pay attention).

I made my way out of the little woodland, stood at the edge of a field and looked up. Above me stretched an expanse of white sky. In the clouds were hundreds of faces outlined with so many bright, flashing colours, not quite neon. They were staring down at me, unsmiling but not unkind. They silently spoke to me and I didn’t feel frightened. Instead I felt relief and a deep, quiet comfort fill my lungs; it seemed they had passed on to me the knowledge that there’s no need to worry so much, everything’s gonna be okay, there’s too much joyous life to fret over your own self all the time. Marvel at the great vastness of life, they seemed to say, and then you won’t feel so alone.