Such Hints of Gladness

Such Hints of Gladness was an exhibition held at Five Oaks on Warson in St. Louis, MO, of colored pencil and graphite drawings on handmade paper. This group of drawings is based on contour drawings of the shadows cast by plant leaves onto walls. The drawings contain cutouts that are meant to mimic a tree or plant half-seen through a window. The leaves and branches are stretched, abstracted, and overlapped until they become planes of color.

This exhibition takes its title from a poem written by Mary Oliver called “When I am Among the Trees”. In this poem, Oliver writes:

When I am among the trees,

especially the willows and the honey locust,

equally the beech, the oaks, and the pines,

they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

With this work, I hope that viewers experience the kind of gladness that comes from seeing little pleasing moments (like a glimpse of a tree through a window). It is the small, simple beauties (like a leaf) that are the most impactful to me.

Contact Emily Mueller at eemueller23@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing artwork.