Through the Trees: The Beauty of Looking Up

An exploration of trees in art, and the atmospheric landscapes of painter Holly Ann Friesen.

There’s something about standing beneath a canopy of trees that changes our perspective. Perhaps it’s the way branches reach skyward, the shifting patterns of light, or the quiet reassurance of something that has stood through countless seasons.

Trees have an extraordinary ability to make us feel both small and connected to something much larger. Rooted firmly in the earth yet constantly reaching upward, they embody a beautiful contradiction—strength and delicacy, permanence and change.

It’s little wonder they’ve captivated artists for centuries.

 

Why Trees Speak to Us

In art, trees are rarely just trees.

They can suggest resilience, growth, solitude, or the passage of time. A single tree standing against an open sky evokes something entirely different from a dense forest, where branches overlap and light filters through in fragments.

Artists have long been drawn to these possibilities. Trees provide an endless vocabulary of shapes, lines, colors, and textures, but perhaps their greatest appeal lies in their ability to communicate something beyond their physical form.

We recognize them, of course. But we also feel them.

And sometimes, a painting of trees can evoke the sensation of being outdoors more powerfully than a literal representation of the landscape itself.

 

Holly Ann Friesen: Somewhere Between Earth & Sky

Canadian artist Holly Ann Friesen explores this wonderful territory between the recognizable and the abstract.

Her signature tree and sky compositions invite us to look upward, through overlapping branches, shifting light, and atmospheric layers of color.

Rather than meticulously describing every leaf and limb, Holly uses expressive brushwork, color, and movement to capture something more elusive: the feeling of standing beneath the trees and looking toward the sky.

There’s a lovely tension in her paintings. The trunks and branches provide structure, while the skies seem to move and shift around them. Earth meets atmosphere. Solid forms give way to light and color.

The result is work that feels both grounded and dreamlike.

Her paintings don’t necessarily ask us to recognize a particular forest or landscape. They invite us to remember the sensation of being there—the coolness of shade, the movement of air through branches, or that fleeting moment when sunlight breaks through the canopy.

 

Bringing the Outdoors In

Perhaps one reason tree-inspired artwork feels so natural in our homes is that it introduces an organic rhythm to rooms filled with furniture, architecture, and carefully collected objects.

Branches provide movement. Vertical trunks lend structure. Layered foliage and open skies create depth and a feeling of expansiveness.

Holly’s work does this particularly beautifully.

         

Above a mantel, a tree painting can become a quiet focal point. In a reading nook, it can create an intimate sense of shelter. A larger composition over a sofa or bed can bring an entire room together, adding color and atmosphere without overwhelming the space.

And unlike artwork chosen simply to complement a room’s palette, paintings inspired by nature often establish an emotional connection that goes well beyond decoration.

They remind us of places we’ve walked, landscapes we’ve loved, and moments when the world felt wonderfully still.

A Little Wisdom from the Trees

A friend recently gave me a small book called How to Be More Tree, and it’s become one of those quiet favorites I find myself wanting to share.

Through short reflections, it invites us to consider what trees might teach us about living: the value of strong roots, the patience required for growth, the ability to bend without breaking, and the importance of weathering life’s changing seasons.

It’s a charming thought—that we might all benefit from being a little more like trees.

And perhaps that’s part of what draws us to Holly’s paintings. They offer more than a beautiful view. They give us a moment to look up, slow down, and reconnect with something familiar yet endlessly surprising.

Because sometimes the most interesting thing about a painting isn’t simply what we’re looking at.

It’s what it makes us feel.

Discover the work of Holly Ann Friesen at SQUIRREL art + gathered goods in Manchester, Vermont.