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Behind the Scenes: The Story Behind Dormant Trees

  • Deborah 
Abide Studio at The Factory at Franklin

Dormant trees have dominated in my art since the mid-eighties. At the time, we lived in Connecticut. It was there that I fell in love with the sculptural beauty of dormant trees. I remember looking over the back of our sofa, through the front window, past silhouetted trees to the setting sun. It was only in winter that I could view the Berkshire Mountains in the distance, but it was the foreground of those leafless trees that drew most of my attention. To this day, I can spend hours looking at winter’s trees as they become sculptures against a sunset sky. 

Through the decades since then, the Lord has brought me scripture after scripture validating the image of trees as a part of my art ministry. Perhaps my favorite is Psalm 1. I consider Psalm 1:1-3 to be one of my “life passages”

“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does he shall prosper.” (Psalm 1: 1–3)

This passage is a constant reminder that God’s seasons are not always my seasons. No matter what is happening around me, my job is to stay true to who God says I am and do what He asks me to do. By delighting in and meditating on the Word of God (‘the law of the Lord”) the Lord will cause fruit to be born in my life, no matter what the outward season looks like. 

When the “Great Recession of 2008” happened, I was working full-time as an artist and gallery owner. Focusing on the world around us, one might have predicted that the business would suffer and ultimately close. Economic circumstances would have indicated we would at least experience a downturn in the art business, but God had a different plan. 

With financial draught all around us, Abide Studio propsered. God brought clients who recognized the ministry of the art I created and were willing to spend their money on art that glorified God. Sales remained steady. 

Not only did we NOT wither, we prospered as we continued on the path the Lord had placed before us. 

I created the sign of my gallery, Abide Studio, with a silhouette tree as a dominant design element. It served as a daily reminder that God remains faithful to His children and His call through all seasons. 

I look forward to sharing the rest of the story about dormant trees and how I use them in my upcoming book, A Guided Journal to Soaring With God.