This series draws on the ancient Celtic Ogham alphabet, in which each letter is a tree. Each painting carries the spirit of its tree into contemporary form through abstraction, collage, and North American roots.
Coll is the ninth letter of the Ogham alphabet, associated with wisdom, poetic inspiration, and divination. The crane, sacred bird of Hazel, stands at the center of the composition, while a salmon moves through the swirling depths below — evoking the ancient Celtic myth of the salmon of wisdom nourished by hazelnuts falling into the sacred pool. The word INSPIRATION, written into the painting, names what Hazel offers: the flash of insight that rises from deep knowing.