Tree Formations

Stephen Taylor painted over 50 studies of the same oak tree, examples are shown above and below. Some of his images are intricately detailed, some fleeting sketches. The changing seasons are reflected in this solitary tree.
David Hockney's monumental images of the Yorkshire countryside (below) were painted outside on canvases that were then pieced together.
Grant Simon's stunning photos take a different perspective by looking up into the branches and focusing on the twisted forms silhouetted against the negative space of the sky.
Piet Mondrian was just as interested in the negative spaces formed between the branches as he was the structure of the tree itself (below). He developed these ideas into his paintings of plain coloured geometric shapes.
Olsen Zanders ingenious images (below) leave you wondering how he achieved such precise detail. They can only work from one fixed point - move slightly to the left or right and the illusion will be shattered.

Horst Janssen's old and decaying tree stumps (above) have a sad and slightly scarey quality. The fairy tale illustrations of Arthur Rackham (below) give the trees their own character- we see faces, arms and hands appear amongst the bark and branches.
Gustav Klimt created the stylised and highly decorative image of the tree of life (below). His influences were Egyptian Art and his Goldsmith Father.

Collect, Select, Arrange

The blog entitled 'Things Organised Neatly' is a great source of inspiration. Everyday people submit new images- sometimes accidental finds, sometimes their own compositions. The image above is from 'Photobotanicus' by Barry Rosenthal
Illustrator Julia Rothman creates repeat patterns from everyday objects like these shoes (below). They can be used for wrapping paper, wallpaper or book covers.
Any artist who paints a still life subject will 'collect, select and arrange' their chosen objects. Scottish artist Samuel Peploe could create beautiful compositions from the simplest of subjects (below).
Peter Blake is renowned for his collections of toys, cigarette cards badges and other curiosities. He regularly arranges them into compositions often based on colour themes.
Both Andy Goldsworthy's work (above) and Sue Lawty's work (below) involves collecting and arranging natural materials often in the environment in which they were found. Goldsworthy's creations are allowed to naturally decay away, the photograph being the only evidence of it's existence. Lawty will often weave found material to create more permanent structures
American artist Jayne Mount creates illustrations of peoples favourite books.