Simple Gifts: Trees along creek, Shaker Village

David Owens

When you observe trees by a creek, you're witnessing a powerful example of how these vital organisms sustain us and the environment.

They filter pollutants, prevent erosion, control floods, and cool water. Tree roots and the surrounding soil act as natural filters, removing pollutants like sediment, excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and harmful chemicals from runoff before it enters the creek. This results in cleaner water for us and aquatic life.

Tree roots stabilize creek banks, preventing erosion and reducing the amount of sediment that clouds the water. This is crucial for maintaining healthy aquatic habitats.

Tree canopies provide shade, keeping the creek water cool. This is essential for many aquatic species that require cool water to survive

Trees provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife, including birds, insects, and mammals. Fallen trees and branches in the creek create diverse aquatic habitats for fish and other organisms.

Trees along a creek create a vital buffer zone that protects water quality, supports biodiversity, and contributes to a healthy environment. By observing them in this context, you can appreciate their crucial role in sustaining life.

Save the World: Touch Some Dirt

Sophia McKay

I believe being engaged with all aspects of ecological processes, especially during one's youth, is a fundamental tool to promoting environmental education and stewardship. A pressing problem we must aim to rectify is that we have limited our access to, and, thereby, appreciation of nature, especially in urban landscapes. Even in national parks, we are encouraged to look but never touch. Of course, some of these restrictions are necessary as we must avoid the tragedy of the commons somehow. The entire trajectory of my future career was determined by the fact that I adore nature, and that stems from the fact that I was allowed, encouraged even, to spend my summers rolling around in dirt and toggling with the natural environment. The most interesting puzzles require intense immersion to solve. Nature is not something to solve, per say, but it does mandate interaction to fully understand. You cannot love something you are not willing, or able to understand. And you do not care much to protect something you do not love. Children are the future- they should feel inspired to help save the world, and that begins with touching some dirt.

shinrin-yoku (Forest Bathing)

Sarah-Ashley Solie

Forest bathing, or "shinrin-yoku," is more than just a walk in the woods. It's a mindful practice of immersing yourself in the forest atmosphere, and it offers a wealth of benefits for both your physical and mental health. Mental health benefits include improved mood, stress reduction, and improved mental focus and clarity. Physical health benefits include improved blood pressure, boosted immune system, and improved sleep. Forest bathing provides a powerful way to reconnect with nature and restore your overall well-being.

Tuning In

Gabriella Hoss

Tuning In is an abstract painting heavily inspired by the beautiful trees, rocks, and rivers found at the Red River Gorge. When hiking around the gorge, I am inspired and in awe of the natural color palette found in the bark of the trees, hues of green found in the leaves and moss, and all of the different browns, blacks and grays found in the rocks. Additionally, when viewing the intermingling of the rocks and trees, seeing that they sustain each other for stability, inspired many of the painting choices I made in the top 2/3rds of Tuning In.

Furthermore, in the lower bottom section of Tuning In, there is a dividing line I created visually. I did this to show the darkening effects deforestation is having on our environment and the impacts it will have on the trees in our very own backyard. If we do not protect our environment will we not have this beautiful land to inspire us and sustain life.

Stardust Canopy

Nicole Marks

The canopy can reveal or hide the stars. Besides providing a path and light, the cyclic nature of the trees, the celestial space, and overall Mother Nature serves to inspire us by showing there is more for us then what we can feel or touch, or breath, and remind us there is beauty when the clouds clear. This photo embodies the prompt because the photo reminds me of how stardust and earth is all regenerative and part of us.

Encompass

Samantha Ratcliffe

Trees at the University of Kentucky affirm artistic scholarly endeavor. To create, or bloom, is naturally artistic and constantly occurring. Campus artists and writers are encouraged to examine the world with trained eyes, to illuminate the quiet art of universality. "Encompass" explores the constant presence of flora as supportive backdrop for artistic inquiry. In this photo, a university building is draped in the shadow of a nearby tree, forming a bond between UK's historical campus buildings and natural beauty. Both laden in unique heritage, no part of UK can be captured without its landscape. Moments like these inspire students and sustain our understanding of connectivity. The image calls to the intricate requirements of learning, the innate intricacies of nature, and it echoing how the human brain also branches and reaches with such detail.

Sleeping Giants

Samantha Ratcliffe

This striking image calls to the mystical in the corporeal. This tree, located on the University of Kentucky's campus, includes a massive growth that resembles the face of a sleeping ancient animal. The image has been overexposed to highlight the majestic aura of the entity, undisturbed by the bustle of campus life, this deity acts as a sustaining, peaceful reminder that worry and pain are momentary in the greater timeline of sustainability.

Keffer Oak

Kris Grenier

The Appalachian Trail, dubbed the “long green tunnel” because of the trees that line the treadway, is sometimes suggested to be a monotonous journey through the forest. However, as someone who noticed the individual trees in the wood, I saw the trail as inviting, exciting, and anything but monotonous.

“Keffer Oak” pays homage to the largest oak on the southern Appalachian Trail, a living legend that I had the privilege of encountering during my thru-hike in 2012. In this felting, I depicted the magnificent tree in the way I experienced it, by embracing its massive trunk and looking to the sprawling canopy above. Every fiber used to recreate the tree's gnarled bark, adorned with lichens and furrowed with age, is a heartfelt ode to this venerable sentinel of the trail.

Common Cradle

Samantha Ratcliffe

This image, taken at the Hindman Settlement School, includes a dewy spiderweb secured by a wooden porch beam. Behind, the EKY flora can be see reaching towards an overcast sky. This image was taken only a year after floods that destroyed extensive areas of the Hindman school. At the time of the photo, the community relic that is Hindman Settlement School was slowly being rebuilt, just like the spider must rebuild its resting place with each storm. The image calls to the constancy of place and community. The wooden beams and the background of trees still grow and support the life of Kentucky regardless, rain or shine.

With Us

Samantha Ratcliffe

This image, taken on the University of Kentucky's campus, represents the intricate nature of our surroundings. Grief and growth are one in the same; both intricate and encompassing. This image represents the crossroads between inspiration and immersive emotion. The tree takes up the entire photo, almost like a shadow of itself, reaching towards more. This is another example of how our real nature can be mirrored in our environment.

Pandas on Bamboo

Ainjini Patra

The relationship of bamboos and pandas are more ecological and symbolic to the urban & community forestry.

Bamboo as a Sustainable Resource because it grows rapidly, requires little water, and can be used for various purposes such as construction, furniture, and even bioenergy. In urban forestry, bamboo can be used to help with erosion control, improve soil health, and enhance urban biodiversity. Bamboo can also play a role in urban carbon capture or Carbon Sequestration. It absorbs a significant amount of carbon dioxide, which contributes to mitigating the urban heat island effect.

Pandas are an iconic symbol of wildlife conservation, and their reliance on bamboo forests can help raise awareness about the importance of protecting forest ecosystems, both in the wild and within urban environments. Community forestry efforts might include education about the importance of maintaining biodiversity, and pandas can be a focal point in these efforts.

Both bamboo and pandas are part of a broader conversation about ecosystem services provided by urban forests. Bamboo supports ecosystem services like air quality improvement and cooling in cities, while pandas help highlight the importance of preserving natural habitats and biodiversity, influencing how urban green spaces are planned and maintained.

Bamboo teaches us about flexibility and adaptability, symbolizing resilience & stability. Its ability to bend without breaking in storms is an important lesson for resilience in both ecological and personal contexts. Pandas inspire us with their ability to survive in fragile ecosystems, reminding us of the importance of protecting endangered species and their habitats. They symbolize balance and harmony within ecosystems.

The phrase "From roots to canopy" symbolizes the holistic perspective of how bamboo (roots) and pandas (canopy) both influence our world. Bamboo represents grounded, sustainable practices and the resilience of ecosystems, while pandas represent the higher goals of conservation and maintaining balance in the natural world. Together, they inspire us to adopt practices that protect and nurture both the environment and biodiversity, sustaining not just the planet but our future as well.

oh what a life

Sara Parli

I find so much joy in viewing Mother Nature and am known to take photos as such. In 2020 I was inspired by observing nature after the passing of a colleague's wife. It connected how special the tree is in it's life in many ways at the time I reflected as a woman, wife, mother, daughter is in theirs. This can be reflected for all humans in many ways.

These are my words from 2020:

"the tree, so seemingly infinite and then tragically finite; how long until we learn to cherish the buds, the greenery, the autumn color changes, and the fall of the leaves? watching it grow into the beautiful sky, sometimes cloudy, sometimes cloudless but always breathtaking. strong, a foundation, endless opportunity, withstanding of so many storms. a home to new and old creatures, one we can lean on, escape from heat, give us heat, climb and swing from. so many stories it can tell both in its days and in its pages. oh what a life."

A walk in Gujarat

Jiya Sheth

My piece aligns with the urban and community forest theme. This is because it represents how every community around the world relies and sustain on tress, and communicates inspiration through the history. For example in this piece, underneath the main tree you can see many things. These things being a house, shop, and someone selling vegetables. This information tells us that the tree in this piece helps sustain life’s by helping giving them a place to live and earn money. Which is a real world experience many people in poverty know. A way this conveys inspiration through tress is by providing the opportunity to learn about culture from trees. To explain this, there are many different types of trees in this painting and so are there in the world. Many different communities have different cultures, and even trees depending on the environment. Overall trees are a very important aspect of every place in the world and can help people sustain and inspire us.

TreeXploring

Ignazio Graziosi

An exploration of a white pine tree growing in a city in Kentucky. Getting closer and observing his structure from leaves to branches to bark and roots

the weaving trees

Gray Broderson

in 'the weaving trees', I was inspired by the intergenerational connection and support forged through tree canopies; knowledge and nutrients passed through networks that we often never see or understand. weaving seemed a natural method of interpreting canopies, and using found and upcycled materials to do so emphasizes that what we need, we already have. interwoven between upcycled yarn is my great grandmother's quilt, a person I never met but someone who kept our family together through difficult times. I wanted to honor our connection, honor her knowledge and work, and encourage others to consider how connections within nature can inspire connection between people.

Bur Oak: Aging Beauty

Lauren Stanley

This piece was created with old, native Kentucky trees in mind. Bur Oak’s resilience and longevity are among the most impressive of Kentucky native species which can surpass human life spans and live into their 100s. This particular Bur oak was an aged-giant at Cold Stream park. It bears its scars and damage with beauty and dignity as it slowly began to transition into its autumn season. This is an inspiration to all mortal beings to bear our own imperfection and impermanence with the same grace.

The American Chestnut

Sara Grace Eames

I feel like the American chestnut perfectly encapsulates how trees inspire and sustain us. They were used for construction, railroads, firewood, food, and even medicine. They grew fast and provided strong, rot resistant wood. It was a dominant tree in the eastern forests of the United States, until chestnut blight was introduced and it was nearly wiped out. Now, incredible organizations and scientists are working to bring the American chestnut back to its former glory, which I think encapsulates how humanity and trees are intertwined. The tree provided shelter and sustenance and now humanity is working to protect and restore them.

Solace

Lincoln Fuller

The inspiration and name for my painting came from my hikes in the Red River Gorge Geological Area and the sensation I felt in that space: solace. This forest, its wildlife, and its foliage have consistently served as a calming and regenerative space, regardless of how turbulent the world outside of it may be. Existing in this expanse, where trees surround and tower above you, expresses a unifying philosophy of all natural life, encompassing those who visit it as well. In my painting, I hoped to capture this feeling and bring it to people who have not had that experience, or bring back memories for those who have.

Dreaming of Fall

Deborah Westerfield

There would be no world without trees. Not just what trees do for our physical being, but they occupy our souls. The seasons of the year are the seasons of our lives and reflected by tree birth, growth, reproduction and dormancy. Trees touch all of our senses and take us from vivid color in the Spring, Summer and Fall to calm respite in the Winter.

As We Grow

Zoie Albrecht

I interpreted the contest prompt as a way to think about the importance of trees to human life. Trees are a constant in life, as they are one piece of nature that stand tall through every season. In this image the tree is something of a meeting place, a common interest, a mode of physical support, and a piece of art. This tree and the other beautiful ones behind it are objects of admiration, something to look at in this work. However, they inspire more than just creativity as they serve to sustain laughter and human connection between this group of young women.

Fallen Tree

Carly Cecil

Trees are public servants, in life and in death. Even after its passing, this tree will continue to churn the ground we walk on, enrich the food we eat, and resprout the shade we cower under. Will the flag flying overhead do the same once it has fallen too?

Celebrate the Macroinvertebrate

Joseph Napora

Riparian vegetation is extremely important for macro-invertebrate life as they are sustained by leaves from these trees. I aim to make sure people don’t forget about these little creatures in our stream ecosystems as they are incredibly important. Trees sustain our streams which sustains macroinvertebrates.

Rooted in Resilience: Lessons from Trees to Stand Strong

Sophia Goodin

Ultimately, trees offer a powerful lesson: they inspire us to grow and thrive on our own terms. They remind us that our strength comes from within, from deeply rooted self-belief and a determination to stand tall despite life’s challenges. Like the tallest oak or the strongest redwood, we can become enduring symbols of growth, beauty, and resilience.

So, just like trees, let us stand tall with roots deep in our values, trunks strong in our actions, and branches reaching for endless possibilities. When we learn to stand on our own, we not only sustain ourselves but also contribute to the world in meaningful ways.

Womb

Majessa Ballard Dunn

We owe everything to the trees. Every breath I take, every piece of paper I scribble on, every building I walk into they all take something from the trees. Trees are selfless, patient, and indiscriminate. I hope this piece evokes the endless gratitude I feel for the trees and the ways they care for us all.

LexConnect.

Ian Carrick

I think it's important to reference the nature of trees when trying to create a healthy community. Like our community, trees require resources and a healthy environment to grow properly. Trees may be able to grow in areas that are void of natural benefits. Our community acts in the same way; whether it is a good or bad community, it will survive. This website offers a friendly, interactive guide for Lexington locals. This guide promotes healthy, sober social environments for people to enjoy. A large portion of the website's destinations are parks around Lexington. If we can give trees the proper nutrients to flourish, we must understand that fostering a healthy community means encouraging healthier activities.

Luz

Isabel Algueria

n/a

The Garden of Eve

Julissa Martinez

n/a

Just Breathe

Ava Gassett

n/a

Traveling Trees

Graciela Martinez

This is a collection of sketches and paintings of trees I encountered during my travels. Wherever I go, I always notice trees—their presence brings me peace. They draw me in, almost as if inviting a hug, and I’m endlessly grateful to be near them. Trees inspire me through their quiet strength, their ability to thrive in so many places, and the way they offer shade, beauty, and life without asking for anything in return. Seeing different species around the world fills me with joy and nurtures my soul. They remind me that no matter where I travel, there’s always something steady, rooted, and generous nearby. Trees sustain not just our environment, but our spirits, too.

Abundance

Graciela Martinez

My inspriration to develop and organize this showcase :-)