Sacred Tree of Life by Kelley Hensing

Title:	Sacred Tree of Life
Date Created:	2023
Copyright:	© Kelley Hensing
Genre:	Fantasy
Mediums:	Oils, Acrylic
Views:	413
Posted:	12/9/2023

Projects: Some of Kelley' s favorite projects: -Airbrushing murals and fashion clothing, and creating art live at on-location projects with Marc Jacobs in NYC -Illustrating a card game for Atlas Games, titled Lost in Rlyeh, among other drawings for roleplaying books -Painting public murals, statues and other instillations for the non-profit Artworks of Cincinnati -Creating 10 interior illustrations for the limited edition of Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry and Tales published by Suntup Editions

There are a great many religious references, mythologies and legends behind the symbolism of the Sacred Tree. In my interpretation, the top branches hold glowing orbs symbolizing spirits. Creatures of nature inhabit the Tree's center as birds fly in a curve around it. Tendrils of roots draw our eyes downward to a twisting pathway. Blue water flows from the center of the trunk and ends in a waterfall, a symbol of the life within pouring out into the landscape. In the center of the Tree is an entryway, a portal into the unknown mysteries that lie within. Beneath the roots are the hidden spaces under the earth. If you look closely you can see shadowy animals, skeletons and little eyes peering back at you. In the bottom left, there is a single human figure and her companion, a symbol of the human experience of the Great Divine.