The Thistler

A bird-like figure balances on a semi-fallen tree beneath a turbulent sky. The setting grew from an actual place on Randy Gaul’s hikes up White’s Hill in Fairfax, where a noble, leaning tree became an imagined resting place. Gaul invites viewers to look hard enough to find the bird circling overhead. Sweeping branches and suspended forms bring movement into the scene, turning a familiar encounter on a local walk into a glimpse of another life inhabiting the landscape.