Oil with turpentine and linseed oil media on canvas
Light streaks, dark shadows:
As we walk tree avenue
So we pass through life.
Imagine walking across a cathedral nave. But one made of arching trees. And on the far side, the sun is rising, creating a series of long illuminated streaks of fallen foliage alternating with the shadows of the trees themselves, both less wide as the side of the nave goes further into the distance to the left of your view.
Ilex Way was planted in 1840 by merchant, landowner and MP, David Lyon, after his purchase of Goring Hall Estate and the building of the original Goring Hall. Lyon created a cathedral -like arch entrance for grand carriages with a mile long avenue of Holm oak otherwise known as Quercus Ilex. Hence the name Ilex Way. The original Goring Hall had to be rebuilt due to a fire in 1888. It later became a boarding school and is now a private hospital. Ilex Way itself became a public right of way in 1935. Unlike English oaks with which I am more familiar, Holm Oaks are evergreen. But in late spring/early summer they shed old leaves and catkins. This is part of what I tried to capture in my oil painting as well as a sun.