I’ve been inspired by both folk art and victorian drawings into trying oval borders made of ferns to add a more finished feeling to my oval compositions.This Palm tree painting was inspired by some of my photos from Abu Dhabi of the pretty palm trees there, like this one:
We do have palm trees in Ireland, but somehow they just look wrong with all the rain about.
Looking into the history of Palm Trees, of course they have the strongest association with dry climates, but some can also survive flooding and poor drainage. The palm branch was a symbol of victory in Roman Times. To Christians, they meant the victory of the spirit over flesh, while in Judaism, they were a sign of peace and abundance. The best for me though is that they are a traditional symbol of a tropical island paradise- nice to think of on a dreary Dublin afternoon.
This is part of a new series on trees, I also painted a Handkerchief tree and will post it soon.
Wishlist art 