Losing A Beech Tree to the Beach

For the last few years, I have met friends at a cottage on the shores of Lake Michigan.  We chat.  We sketch.

Often, we sketch the old beech tree that borders their yard, where the flat ground ends and the dune leads down to the lake.

Here is a sketch of that tree from 2014.

This spring, as the result of high water, sand movement, and other climate change, this beech, which has stood for over 100 years, fell into the water.  Very sad.

So today, I painted it again.

Still pretty, but a bummer, huh?

On a more fun note:  the friend I paint with did the same tree, and we snapped this lovely shot of our two interpretations (neither quite done when we took the photo).

Scribbling with other folks, especially when you are sketching the same subject, reveals so much about each person's style and how he or she sees the world.  No matter the extent of someone's drawing skills, you get to glimpse how that person sees, what that person sees, and how it differs from what you see.

Wonderful reminder, especially at times like this election year.  What I see is not what everyone else sees.

Worth it to take the time to understand what others see in the world around them.