The first painting of 2022. I loved seeing this magnificent tree covered in winter sun. The strength of the enormous trunk and the incredibly long branches is balanced by the light on the little needle clusters. It is very easy to understand why people revere these trees.

I mixed the pigments (cadmium green, cobalt green deep, Cyprus raw umber) for this banner and painted with the softest handmade brush from Japan.

This banner is painted on handmade Mitsumata paper from Japan which is unbleached and has a beautiful organic colour. The paper allows for smooth flowing brushstrokes and has delicate edges along with the watermarks of the paper makers Su or frame. in the finishing process the paper has been uniformly smoothed and wrinkled in a way that makes the piece look antique.

The banner is suspended from a simple batten and clear thread which can be removed on request if an alternative method of display is desired.