The Walnut Tree

This piece is the first in a series inspired by idioms and fables, and takes its cues from the epigram The Walnut Tree: They planted me, a walnut-tree, by the road-side to amuse passing boys, as a mark for their well-aimed stones. All my twigs and flourishing shoots are broken,hit as I am by showers of pebbles. It is no advantage for trees to be fruitful; I, indeed, bore fruit only for my own undoing. The universality of this theme is striking. It can be a metaphor for the pain of being hurt by someone you tried to help, or even a cautionary tale with startling relevance to our own climate crisis, as we worry that our earth will run out of fruit due to our own indifference. Rendered in oil paint with quick swipes of charcoal pencil over top, and featuring a muted palette that contrasts with its urgent subject matter, I hope that this piece captures the tension of the fable,