Axis Mundi: The World Tree

"Axis Mundi: The World Tree" - Dar James

Artist Bio

“My work is an invitation to stop, to look more closely, to be curious and to be encouraged to experience momentary joy.” Although Dar James has been an artist for more than two decades, this was not her intended career path. Dar graduated from the University of Missouri with a BA in Creative Writing, going on to become a high school teacher for a brief time. It wasn’t until she began doing art projects with her two young sons that the seeds of her art career were planted. Since then, she has been a workshop facilitator, a visiting artist in residence, and a speaker on creativity and education. This exhibit is a celebration of trees and the comfort and joy that this simple, natural image brings to us all. Dar now lives in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania and is a full-time painter. For more information visit darsworld.com.

Artist Statement

The world tree is an ancient motif from all cultures, religions and mythologies. Also referred to as Axis Mundi, or the “center of the world,” it represents the connection between heaven and earth and the order and harmony of the cosmos. 

For thousands of years, trees have inspired poets, writers, musicians and artists. They have been featured in the folklore and storytelling of every culture on Earth. Trees are a symbol of strength and grace, of permanence and the cycles of change, and of community and solitude. A tree may represent family, marriage, knowledge, life and love. Trees can be a part of our childhood memories, often growing up along with us. Trees bring life into our urban settings and become the natural landmarks of our own personal piece of the planet. Their steadfastness and longevity make them the silent witnesses to an every-changing world. Even the shape of a tree can hearken the image of a human standing, arms outstretched to the skies above!

The first question I am almost always asked about my paintings is, "How long do they take?" and maybe you are wondering that right now. I never time them as I’m working, and I never work on one start to finish in a sitting. Most of my work is created in batches, in many different sizes and orientations, often with a common palette, and I move from one to another, adding many layers to create depth and luminosity, letting them influence each other over time. Details are very time consuming, and each individual dot is placed specifically and intentionally, every line is drawn with a dip pen and a nib, all paper elements are hand painted separately, cut and adhered one at a time. This tree painting technique is one that I have explored and evolved over many years to become a signature style, and they have become more and more complex during this time, often influencing the other more abstract, non-objective work that I do. So, the answer to "how long do they take" is actually… a lifetime. 

This exhibit is a celebration of trees and the comfort and joy that this simple, natural image brings to us all. I hope that you enjoy it. 

Love and Peace,
Dar