Portrait: an urban tree diary

Like writing in a diary, through the concentrated effort of drawing portraits of trees, Daniel Wheeler has found a way to take a daily measure of himself and his world. The drawings, each a pen and ink portrait of a different tree, are at the same time an act of devotion and self-education. Here, in an age where smart phone apps make it easy to identify trees (or anything else), follow Wheeler on his analog search to record the majesty of the everyday, tree by tree.

“This beautiful book is a leafy lover’s diary filled to bursting with flirtation, obsession, dalliance, and fidelity. This artist’s penchant for picking twigs out of the gutter and rendering them into heartbreaking works of inspiration or illuminating objects of delight or both at once certainly awakens my own affection. And admiration. And gratitude.” — Nick Offerman