‘Happy Little Trees’ Exhibit Opens At Village Arts

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on March 8, 2025
- 6:06 am

The ‘Happy Little Trees’ exhibit is on display at Village Arts through April 26. Courtesy/Village Arts

VILLAGE ARTS News:

The public is welcome to take a walk in the woods at the “Happy Little Trees” exhibit on display at Village Arts through April 26. Artists were asked to celebrate everything to do with trees, and the community showed up in force with nearly 60 pieces and 30 local and regional artists!

Happy Little Trees is a phrase coined by artist Bob Ross as he spread the love of nature and art to arguable the widest audience of the time.

This exhibit, in part, marks the 30th anniversary of his passing. Most importantly, though, Happy Little Trees marks a season of growth and leads up to the celebration of Earth Day and the Los Alamos’ community’s 20th anniversary of our very own Pajarito Environmental Education Center.

The thicket of artwork on display suggests an intimate love for the outdoors a deep sense of place rooted in Northern New Mexico. E.E. Aicher’s “Kasha-Katuwe” watercolor and Ted Greer’s “Sunrise” photograph are both familiar sights rendered unique by the artists.

The beaded works of Ann Green take on the passage of time in her beaded works of “The 4 Seasons” “A Lush Spring” and “Somewhere Under the Rainbow”. Ellen Mancini finds inspiration in the structure and colors of winter and spring in her wooded ceramic mug series, and Karen Trythall’s “Tree Reflection” sketches speak to the warmth of a verdant summer. Mary Jo Kelly’s “Beautiful but Windy” acrylic perfectly exemplifies the wild crispness of the fall, and Turin Dickman’s “Winter Wonder” watercolor inspires the calm cold quiet of the season.

Themes of trees in relation to humankind are evident in Mary Cardin’s “A Walk in the Glade” and Cindy Boone’s “New Mexico Fixer Upper” watercolors. Trees also thrive in the colorful embroidered garden of Helena Whyte and whimsical spaces created by Mary Susan Hansen. Melissa Alexander’s “Barking Up The Right Tree” knitted vest even envelops you in a literal protective coat made to resemble tree bark.

Artists Gloria Sharp and Cathy Hinajosa use the structure and storytelling of trees to present a riot of color and motion, while Barbara Lake pulls together abstracted shapes to create pieced tree quilts.

Nancy Cope and Carol Rinard use the distinctive characteristics of trees to pull the viewer in with their tiny carefully leading embroidered stitches.

The artists in this exhibit branched out from their subject matter to explore all the emotions that trees might convey. Tomas Redondo’s photograph “Batik Tree” sings of it’s own wildness, where Rachel Person’s oils and pastels invite the viewer to explore under their protective shade and Dixon Wolf’s trees invite you home. Bernadette Lauritzen’s “Tree of Life” photograph speaks of fertility, while the Bonnie Dickman’s oil “The Burn” emphasizes strength and power even after death.

Perhaps artist Elizabeth Brosha sums it up best with her calligraphy of “Friendship is a Sheltering Tree” which depicts watercolored robins surrounded by spring blossoms. As viewers we relate to trees as protective and sheltering, fruitful, and wild. They stand for the passage of time and growth, and can act as a vehicle for artists to express so many emotions and states.

Stop by Village Arts to take in an exhibit that’s truly a breath of fresh air, and vote on a favorite piece for the viewer’s choice award!

Much of the work is also available for purchase, and who wouldn’t want to bring a little piece of our beautiful outdoors inside?

Village Arts is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays and by appointment. Find out more about Village Arts including current and upcoming exhibits at www.villageartsframing.com.