Something about junipers

An eastern juniper with blue berries (seed cones), part of the cypress family.

"The Juniper-Tree" is the name of one of Grimm’s Fairytales, one I recall reading from an old Fairytale book when I was a kid. "Grimm" is the right word for many of those gruesome stories. This particular one could rival some of the Greek myths: it has an evil stepmother, cannibalism, and two murders -- a "family affair". The juniper tree is the magic element; it transforms the murdered son into a beautiful bird, who rewards his kind family members with gifts -- then takes out the evil stepmother with a millstone to the head.

Van Gogh created a number of paintings that included cypress trees when he was in France toward the end of his life. "Road with Cypress and Star" and "Starry Night" are two of my favorites. In his paintings, the cypresses are sometimes dark, brooding. Other times, like dancers; lithe, swaying in rhythm of the wind. Green-blue flames flickering in the morning sky, or lighting the stars.

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My opinion is that the best thing would be to work on until art lovers feel drawn toward it of their own accord, instead of having to praise or to explain it.
~ Vincent Van Gogh