The beech tree is traditionally known as the “queen” of the Forest (oak being the “king”). It seems a fitting epithet: beech grows tall and elegant, with smooth, supple bark and a fabulously coloured wardrobe of leaf colour – from fresh spring greens, though strong summer tones, to the most vibrant reds and oranges in the autumn.
When I discovered a haughty face in the bole of this tree, the title of the drawing – set on the edge of a Hampshire Hanger in late September, with the year’s foliage just about to turn – was inevitable.
Queen of the Forest
16 x 12 inches, Inks on kaolin-coated board. Framed.
£310 – SOLD
Media note: All the inks I use have a high light fastness rating. Most are pigment inks and are sold as “India(n) Inks” – this term traditionally refers to the black ink made from lampblack, which is the black that I use in these drawings, but some manufacturers use it to describe their ranges of similarly robust coloured inks.
