White Oak Tree

White Oak Tree Located in the Back Country Yosemite National Park, California
11" x 14"
16" x 20"

White Oak
It was on one of my back country trips in Yosemite that I photographed and made artist's notes of this tree. I was struck, as an artist, by the way the trunk of the tree had spread out over the years to take advantage of the very small amount of growing area available to it in the expanse of exposed rock in the area. In all probability this tree did not start out as a single tree mass as seen here, but probably as several small growths that grew against each other and joined to become one trunk. The tree is rooted in the top of a small hill where soil only covers the very top of the hill. There must have been some underground water veins in the hill that supplied the tree with enough water to allow the roots to establish themselves in the scant soil. The drawing was finished several years after my visit. There is a majestic sense of spirit to this tree. Not only had the tree grown to a monumental size, but it was existing in an environment that did not readily support such large and old growth. William R. Johnston Artist

White Oak

It was on one of my back country trips in Yosemite that I photographed and made artist's notes of this tree. I was struck, as an artist, by the way the trunk of the tree had spread out over the years to take advantage of the very small amount of growing area available to it in the expanse of exposed rock in the area. In all probability this tree did not start out as a single tree mass as seen here, but probably as several small growths that grew against each other and joined to become one trunk.

The tree is rooted in the top of a small hill where soil only covers the very top of the hill. There must have been some underground water veins in the hill that supplied the tree with enough water to allow the roots to establish themselves in the scant soil.

The drawing was finished several years after my visit. There is a majestic sense of spirit to this tree. Not only had the tree grown to a monumental size, but it was existing in an environment that did not readily support such large and old growth.

William R. Johnston
Artist

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