Tree of the Week showcases some of the biggest and most beautiful trees in the GTA, as compiled by Megan Ogilvie. Here, Toronto artist Bev Rodin tells us about her favourite place to paint and why the city’s famous green spaces and many forested ravines are an artist’s paradise.

Anyone who ventures up to the observation deck of the CN Tower will marvel at the view.

Look to the south and you will see the vast stretch of Lake Ontario shoreline. But to the north, east and west, the large, interconnected swaths of trees and forests, all dotted with homes and buildings, are just as beautiful.

As an artist who loves trees, Toronto’s ravines, forests and parks are a four-season paradise of inspiration.

I’ve been painting trees and forested landscapes for 25 years. I’m best known for my Forest Light Series of paintings, which capture woodlands during a fleeting, beautiful moment.

I see trees as a metaphor for life. I believe they represent so many things; hope, silence, patience, safety, growth, hospitality, comfort, wildness, universal intelligence, resilience, strength, beauty, friendship and shelter. These themes are universal; people from all walks of life can relate to trees.

My love of trees took hold during my childhood. I grew up in small mining towns in Ontario and Quebec and in each place, whether Port-Cartier, Que., or Elliot Lake, Ont., the community was surrounded by dense forest.

I moved to Toronto about 40 years ago. Right away I noticed the forests within the city. I remember thinking that Toronto was unique because all of the residential areas are carefully planned around the rivers, creeks and treed ravines.

One of my longtime favourite spots is the forested area along the Don River in Sunnybrook Park.

I love the trails that wind through the woods and lead into open glens. There is also a wildness in the rugged growth along the Don River that I am drawn to.

Almost always in my walks, no matter the season, I see people enjoying the park’s beautiful scenery. We are lucky to have this sanctuary in the city.

To create my art, I take photographs of trees and places that inspire me. I also will take my watercolours or charcoal pencils and, sitting or standing, make on-location sketches of trees. The photographs and sketches are both my reference and inspiration when I paint my larger canvasses back in my studio.

One of the things I’m most drawn to is the magical effect of backlighting — the way sunlight shines through leaves and branches. This golden light is one of my main themes in my artwork and I often go for walks at sunrise and sunset to seek out this special light.

Despite the cold, fall and winter are my favourite times to capture this beautiful, golden light.

What I’ve come to learn is that light is so fleeting. You really have to pay attention and watch because the light will change so quickly. In one moment, there will be a transparency and a glow through the leaves, and the next moment everything will be in shadow. It’s important to slow down and be in the moment and be really observant.

People who are drawn to my art say they have a “eureka moment” looking at the Forest Light Series. They’ve experienced that essence of the fleeting golden light and they’re reminded of a favourite season or time of day.

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I’d like to encourage everyone, when they are out in our city’s forests and parks, to immerse themselves in the scenery. To slow down and take it in and enjoy the natural beauty.

Read more:

‘As the trees burn, we are diminished:’ Toronto-based artist hopes his paintings ‘speak’ for the world’s trees

10 of Toronto’s most breathtaking trees — our ravine queens and urban legends

White oak planted on family’s Scarborough farm by great grandfather brought comfort during Great Depression — and continues to to this day