"I once read that the Scandinavians believe that the spirits of the trees used in building their houses stay alive in those houses. I like that. Experiments have shown that flowers and plants definitely respond to each of us – our voice, our touch. Flowers have also been shown to respond to different types of music. I know that birds do. Late at night when I play my piano, which is beside a large bay window, the birds which live in the yew hedge on the other side of that window, start to chirp and sing. That’s the only time I have ever heard birds singing late at night. I guess my music is their kind, too.

I had been commissioned to paint a portrait of a young boy in his favorite sycamore tree. After spending a day doing sketches and getting to know him, I drove down an avenue lined with sycamore trees. Their trunks were exquisite in texture and color. I stopped and started to photograph their trunks really close up. When the slides came back one of them had the face of a child in the trunk. I showed it to several people and everyone saw the face. I knew this had to be a painting. That was how “Awakening Sycamore” came to be painted, thus, the beginning of the “Faces” series. “African Queen” sat on my kitchen table for years, and the “Hunter” is our beloved cat.

I would love the playfulness of this show to help or inspire others to be aware of everything around them. Stay in the moment, and take time to smell the roses."  J Hammond 2010