There is something deeply evocative about a solitary tree that leans. Where I live in the Peak District there are many trees that stand alone and the winds are so strong that they grow leaning over.
This painting grew from the feeling of being in nature and rooted to the earth. The tree bends with the wind as though it has been listening to it for years, carrying the memory of every storm in its shape.
The circular canvas felt important to me because it holds the tree like a small world of its own, suspended somewhere between dream and landscape. I wanted the work to feel quiet, windswept and somehow in its own space.
This original, one-of-a-kind artwork has been painted with acrylics on a circular canvas. My process begins with direct observation, making sketches and taking photographs on location to use as references in the studio. From these studies, I work intuitively laying down initial layers with a brush, then building texture and depth through impasto techniques applied with a palette knife. I draw upon the optical mixing methods of the Impressionists, as well as traditional techniques such as scumbling and glazing used by the old masters.
I continue refining the painting until it reaches a natural conclusion. The finished work is a contemporary piece that exists between abstraction and realism. The image continues around the edges of the canvas and is signed along the side. It requires no frame and is ready to hang. For presentation purposes, the painting has been photographed against a white background.
Offered by 