20/20 Vision

The Art of Contemporary University Printmaking

Will Schneider

This work is inspired by a recent look into the idea of the existence of a tree of life, or a fountain of youth.  The tree as shown is a surreal manifestation of a tree that actually gives life to and sustains souls. It is shown floating in space, brought into context only by shaky, sketchy lines; an allusion to the fact that this concept remains in the realm of the surreal, while in our minds it is allowed to actually exist. The texture in the background is experimentation with eroded stencils, and also depicts an outline of the tree flipped. This, along with the circle, represents the actual cyclical nature of life and death, and the truth behind the myth. The base of the tree floods into drips. This is the sap of the tree of life, believed to give eternal life to those who drink of it.