The Old Pear, Linocut, 15" x 20," 2009
Every Tree Counts print exchange
Memories of my childhood in Bulgaria are filled with a warm sun, the smell of fresh cut grass, the taste of garden tomatoes and the silhouette of a tree on a hill. My sister, cousin and I would spend the three months of summer vacations at my grandfather’s birth home a small country village of Sumer. We played in the garden, ran through the watermelon patch and watched the birds fly out of the large pear tree on top of the hill.
The hill, known as the “Stone Wall,” belonged to our great-grandfather and was once the site of a Roman fortress. The stone walls of the fortress were dismantled long ago - used to build the main street of the village. Atop the hill my great-grandfather planted a pear tree and left it to grow free and wild, her large trunk and green crown could be seen from anywhere in the village.
During the rise of communism the hill was taken from my family, just like the personal property of all Bulgarian citizens. Our grandfather would often tell us stories about of our family history, spinning dramatic tails about his parents and grandparents. My favorite stories were about his childhood adventures herding sheep atop the hill. He would set my imagination ablaze describing Roman coins and pieces of pottery he had found there. I would look up at the hill taking in all the history surrounding me.
The old pear no longer sits on top of her hill. After watching over the valley for generations she was burnt down by a group of local villagers searching for the unattainable. They thought that my great-grandfather had buried gold coins under her roots. Removing the tree they found no treasure.
When we moved to the United States the image of tree atop a hill began to represent the unattainable for me. A bittersweet symbol representing my history, childhood and country. A symbol of loss and the hopeful future still to be reclaimed. My vision of forward progress is still the upward walk toward a tree and represents the attainment of a great desire.
“The Old Pear” shows the tree as she adorns my family hill, watching the world and history unfolding.
