Artist Paints Landmark Tree

When Marilyn Rose read that the enormous sugar maple in front of is , she knew just what to do.

The artist perched herself across the street from the church on Bloomfield Avenue last Sunday morning and created a painting.

"I realized that I had to act quickly once I knew it was coming down," said Rose, a resident of West Caldwell. "I was afraid that it might be gone before I got to paint it."

The watercolor captures the majestic maple that's provided shade and beauty to the Roseland Avenue intersection for more than a century. What it doesn't depict is the yellow police tape that surrounds the tree, which has succumbed to maple shade disease. 

Rose said she is not a member of First Presbyterian, but rather . She said she passes the tree each morning on the way to exercise at the .

The artist said she had a lump in her throat as she worked on the painting, stopping to tell passerbys about the tree's destiny.

"I kept thinking of all the things that happened in the lifetime of this tree and felt like I was paying tribute to an old friend," she said. "I will surely feel an emptiness every time I pass that spot in the years to come."

Anyone interested in the painting should email the artist at marilyn@marilynroseart.com. The artist is considering making limited edition fine art prints as well.