Trees 1927

Grace Cossington Smith made this painting of ‘Trees’ with oil on board. She's put down these little squares of green and blue, one after another, to evoke a grove of trees. I can imagine her, brush in hand, really looking and thinking. Each mark feels deliberate, searching for a way to capture the light, the shape, the feeling of being among these trees. The paint isn't thick, but the repetition of marks builds a real texture, like you could run your hand across the surface and feel the artist's process. I love the way she simplifies the forms, like how the dark strokes suggest shadows and depth. It reminds me a bit of Cezanne, but with a kind of tenderness, too. She is part of this lineage of painters, constantly pushing and pulling ideas across time, trying to figure out how to see and show the world. It's an invitation to slow down, to notice the small things, and to feel the shifting rhythms of the natural world.