Collaboration with an Ancient

The following work is the result of a collaboration between myself and a wild-spirited elderly oak tree that resides on the rocky lake shore of the peninsula near where my house sits.

I know her only as Her Ladyship. I have little knowledge about her early years. I would hazard a guess that she wasn’t planted by a human being but was sown as an acorn by nature – perhaps by a pigeon, squirrel or jay – well over a hundred years ago.

She, and all the nature that surrounds her – the sparkling of the lake in summer; grey clouds above golden leaves in autumn; the wind whistling through naked branches in winter; the birdsong that cracks open the dawn of spring – the deer, the badger, the quick fox, every frog and blade of grass – and myself – all belong together like hand to glove.

The following works emerged during the course of many years taking daily walks alone on and around the peninsula, and many dialogues with Her Ladyship.

Carrying nothing but my joy to be there and my terrible grief at the relentless destruction of the natural world – the degradation of humanity in great ignorance – out came this work………