Wild Fig and the Deli

Description

Wild Fig and the Deli

The inner gardens around the estate create areas of life and calm. Trees in walled spaces let in life!

The corded roots of this wild fig hint at untamed jungle. The fig tree in the painting is a ‘strangler fig’. Those beautiful corded roots encircle a host tree and over the course of twenty or thirty years they choke the life out of the tree. I have watched this in my garden where I planted a wild fig in the fork of a syringa tree I did not want – but needed the shade.

Remember the story of the kid whose room turns into a jungle as he slept. There is something compelling about the wild beauty of this inner garden. The paths and stairs convey a sense of order. Together the trees, the paths and the stairs create a memory of a garden. A garden worked and kept.

All of this provides a space for contemplation and a great cappuccino.

Watercolour on 300gm Arches Hot Pressed
610 x 460 mm