Artist's Statement:

I hope this exhibit allows you to share some of my fascination with the history of Britain and its landscape. Living in England and Wales, and regularly visiting Scotland and Ireland, allowed me to study valuable clues to Britain's pre-Christian history, such as stone circles, burial dolmens, and the ancient yew trees. Usually found in churchyards, these sacred trees pre-date the Christian churches which were built over the older holy sites, effectively co-opting them. Some ancient yews have been dated to over 2,000 years old (see the work of Allen Meredith). Ancient Yews conveys the juxtaposition of Christian sites with the older, wilder, earth energy of these sacred trees. I warmly acknowledge the inspiration given to me by Charly and Nicky Martin (shown at right with my husband Anthony) and their love of ancient sacred sites.

While Britain has been the touchstone for me to access this older earth energy, I admire other artists who have been able to paint this richness in nature, such as Emily Carr's BC Pacific Coast, Alan Lee's Tolkien landscapes or our local Anita Edwards' wonderful decaying forests. In an increasingly plasticized culture whose alienation from nature is dooming itself, I wish to celebrate moss and earth and the return to a way of life which is whole.

Many of my subjects are women and this not only follows the Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic traditions but also my own desire to depict women in other ways than our culture usually promotes. JS Sargent's Fumee D'Ambre Gris is a touching into other cultures. I hope to do more paintings in future that express the wide range of ages and body types that follow the arc of feminine power throughout our lives. Petite Odalisque is, I hope, a prelude to mother and daughter images.

Finally I would like to thank my father (shown at left, Avebury Stone Circle) who continues to be an artistic inspiration in my life. Visit his web site at www.donbergerart.com.

— Holly Cecil