Among Trees
Location
Marie’s professional work is as an artist and designer with a focus on public work. She loves that Flagstaff is an accessible community where people are well informed and involved. She was a frequent visitor to Flagstaff before moving here in 2011. She and her family settled in the Southside, attracted to its soul and spirit.
About the Artist
Among Trees evokes the peacefulness, mystery, and quiet immersion of being within a forest. The installation features vertical elements that suggest tree trunks, rendered in weathering steel with color accents, creating a visual rhythm that echoes how trees stand in relation to one another.
The material choice is deliberate: the weathering steel carries earthy tones and patinas, helping the piece feel integrated with its natural surroundings and the forested landscapes of northern Arizona. The colored elements add subtle contrast and visual interest, drawing the viewer’s eye and inviting closer observation.
Its scale and spacing allow viewers to walk alongside or between the forms, offering shifting perspectives and an experience of being among a grove of abstracted trunks. This immersive quality helps connect the artwork to the surrounding environment—especially the ponderosa pine–dominated setting of Flagstaff.
About the Artwork
Connection to Nature: Though the piece is sited in an urban civic space, its visual language draws people back to the forests and trees that define much of Flagstaff’s identity. It encourages reflection on our relationship with natural environments.
Stillness and Presence: The vertical forms and harmonious spacing invite quiet contemplation. In passing through or beside the installation, viewers become part of the composition, subtly activated by the work.
Materials and Time: Because weathering steel changes over time, “Among Trees” will gradually evolve—its surfaces will develop deeper patinas, echoing the slow transformations of living forests.
Art in Civic Space: Positioned at the municipal court, this work helps soften the built environment, offering an artistic “breath” in everyday civic life.
Themes and Significance
Questions for Elementary School Families
What colors do you see? How do they make you feel?
What do you notice first when you look at this piece of art?
What materials do you think the artist used to create this piece?
The shapes on the art piece look like trees, how do you think the artist made them look that way?
Why do you think the artist chose this place to hang their art?
How does the artwork make you feel? Calm? Curious? Excited?
There is a poem written on the artwork. Why do you think the artist added a poem?
What do you think the poem is about?
Where do you think this scene is taking place? In a forest, a city, or somewhere else?
Why do you think the artist used the colors brown, green, and blue?
If you could step into this artwork, what sounds would you hear?
How does this artwork make you think about nature?
If you could ask the artists one question about this mural, what would it be?
Questions for Secondary School Families
How does the lighting change the way the artwork looks?
What do you think the message or theme of this artwork is?
Why do you think the artist chose to use metal for this piece of art?
How do all of the elements in this art piece work together to communicate its theme?
If you could design your own version of this artwork, what materials or images would you include to represent peace or stillness?
How does the natural imagery in this artwork make you feel?
Why do you think the artist chose to combine words and visual art instead of just one or the other?
What emotions or thoughts does this piece bring up for you personally?
Extension Activity
To extend, find a poem or song that inspires you and create a piece of art to go along with it. Try to use mixed media art like this artist did. For example, could you use cardboard, metal, or fabric to create a piece of art?
