To the artist the forest is an asylum of peace, of dancing shadows, of sun-flecked green. The rugged trunks are stalwart guardians–green, violet, and russety grey–with their reaching branches meeting in a noble arch overhead.

– John F. Carlson

The three pieces chosen from the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection for the fourth and final week of the 2022 Beginning the New Year with the Masters project of the Nature Artists’ Guild feature trees in different styles and media.

In 2022, one of the world’s most renowned “tree museums” The Morton Arboretum celebrates “100 years of planting and protecting trees for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world.” The Nature Artists’ Guild hopes to honor the celebration in various ways, and gaining inspiration from the work of master artists is a good beginning.