Saint Oak - 2018
16" x 20"
Acrylic on wood
$5,000
From the "Oregon Native Saints" series
Notes from the artist:
The Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) is a keystone species in the ecology we call Oak Savanna: a jewel in Oregon's natural heritage. The white oaks of the Oregon savanna provide acorns, young buds, and shelter for insects, birds, rodents, and deer, as well as leaves for fungus, mosses, soil invertebrates, and animals further up the food chain. Oak savanna is a highly endangered light-density forest-prairie habitat, native to the Pacific Northwest and the Cascadian bioregion. The habitat includes camas and fritillaria, major native foodsources, and other species that thrived in the controlled-burn stewardship of indigenous peoples. Oaks also provide beauty in fall and shade in summer. The older an oak tree is, the more carbon it needs and the more carbon it removes from the atmosphere. They are doing their best to save us from climate disaster.
