Death of a Giant - Linda Krause

Cotton, batting, and thread. Bleach. Free motion machine quilting, bleach discharge, trapunto, inspirational photography, drawing.
35 1/2” x 28 1/2” x 1”
 
"I had been chosen. Chosen to be an artist in residence at my favorite park, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP). It was the dream of a lifetime. As I excitedly crossed the mountain pass on the way to my residency I stopped and photographed a magnificent giant of a tree. I remembered the exact scene as I stood there in the vastness of those mountains. I was in awe. Then I drove on and spent a glorious 5 weeks in the GSMNP. I had been to this place dozens of times. In fact, I had been to those mountains for camping and vacations more than anywhere else period. But never had I been granted 5 continuous weeks there. While in the park I visited novel sites and photographed with abandon soaking up all that I had been gifted. There were bears and creeks and brakes going out on the mountain top! A memorable trip indeed.
Nearing the end of my time there I pulled over at the same vista with the towering tree from day one. I witnessed a somber scene. The tree had been lush and green 4 short weeks earlier, but on this day it was clearly dead. It stood bare with some branches perilously draped over others that had temporarily stalled their descent from once lofty perches.
I was reminded that my life, your life, and a towering trees’ life will all come to an end. I created this piece, Death of a Giant, to honor a magnificent life lived. A life which provided a home or temporary landing spot for birds and oxygen for everyone to breathe. A life which gave countless visitors something glorious to witness. That I happened to be there at the end and actually record that individual tree green with life and again so soon after death gives me an indescribable feeling. The trees’ death did not go unnoticed or unmourned."