Yew and robin
Low winter sunlight slanted through into the dark, secretive recesses of a stand of yew trees, illuminating the bole of this tree and the forest floor like a stage spotlight. The dense evergreen canopy cut out all other light, leaving deep, impenetrable shadows, and the effect reminded me of the chiaroscuro style of painting of Caravaggio and his post-renaissance followers. Nothing grows under a yew tree and very little rain penetrates its canopy, and I liked the dry, crackling texture of the forest floor. The greens and pinks of the yew bark provided a wonderful colour contrast and I enjoyed the way that the shadows of unseen branches wrapped themselves around the twisting bulk of the trunk.
Acrylic on paper, 20" x 27"
SOLD
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