May 7-June 16, 2026
Walk toward the trees! Take in Mary Pat Maracle’s textured photo encaustics of detailed broadleafs and Kristen Palm’s vivid, representational abstract trees and landscapes. Step back to experience Palm’s bold colors and shapes that evoke our tall sylvan relatives in acrylic, then step closer to observe the blankets of palpable wax, layered intricately by Maracle. Though both artists depict trees in different ways – sometimes playful and loud, other times ghostly with an underlying structure of branches and twigs – each style of work celebrates their own connection to the trees that surround us.
Cost: Included with general daily admission, which is free for members and ages 15 and younger and $20-25 for non-members ages 16 and older. Indigenous peoples receive waived general daily admission to the Arboretum when making a reservation by calling 612-301-6775.
Artist Statements
Kristen Palm
Kristen Palm delights in being outside, where she can let her imagination soar between the tree branches and open sky. The natural world inspires her. Through her paintings, she strives to share the wonder and joy she experiences there.
Kristen achieves a two-dimensional effect in her paintings using vivid colors of like value to give equal weight to negative and positive space. By taking these shapes to abstraction, Palm hopes her paintings spark viewers to recall their own favorite natural places. The act of pulling up memories can prompt you to look for your own role in respecting and renewing our beautiful world.
Mary Pat Maracle
My work is rooted in a deep, contemplative connection to the natural world. Time spent walking in nature becomes an act of noticing and remembering. I absorb not only visual elements, but also fleeting sensations, textures, and atmospheres. Original photographs and the layered processes of my paintings carry forward these lived impressions, and through them they re-emerge.
Working in encaustic allows me to explore translucency, texture and depth in ways that mirror the complexity of memory. This medium's luminous surface holds traces of both the seen and the felt, creating space for moments that are personal yet widely recognizable. Each piece unfolds as a quiet narrative that invites viewers to slow down, look closely, and engage with the subtle beauty that we often overlook.
My work offers a place for reflection and reconnection. It encourages an intimate dialogue between the viewer, the natural environment, and the viewer’s own internal landscapes.