The Fruits of Shortening Days

Watercolor & 24-ct gold leaf on paper, 56 x 22 cm, Private Collection

Medieval trees, gnarled and twisted, but bearing fruit for the birds. The trees were inspired by medieval manuscripts, such as the early 14th-century Holkham Bible, an illustrated collection of biblical and apocryphal stories in Norman French. There is a fox near our town house garden that visits us at night. He comes to the bottom of the garden where the old espaliered apple trees grow. In my paintings, I like to tell part of the story in the gold. You may not see the fox straight away, depending on how the painting catches the light. The river is nearby—I wonder if he ever manages to catch a fish?