Autumn is a time of breathtakingly beautiful displays of colour in trees. What we are witnessing is in fact, radical action by trees to survive the imminent cold weather. The tree pulls it’s nutrients back into the trunk and strips the leaves of chlorophyll leaving behind their original colours– striking yellows, warm oranges, deep reds and intense purples. We find great beauty in these displays of resilience.
‘Resilience series: Autumn Sacrifice’ is a selection of observational paintings made on Hampstead Heath, London, of autumnal paired trees and of leaves returning to their colours of origin. In this artwork I combine nine such observations to document the seductive palette of these trees but also something of their quiet power.
We know from studying forests that trees communicate with one another, that they share resources with those who are in need, that they live best in communities. These systems, similar to our own, allow them to thrive. To understand biodiversity is to recognise that all life is intertwined. We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction of all life on earth. Radical action is necessary if we hope to find solutions.