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In: art

In a recent post we wrote about Sarah Simblet’s work in progress, drawing an enlarged alder catkin (see post). Here is a sneak preview of the finished drawing. Far right of the photograph of the drawing (out of focus) is the female flower of Alnus glutinosa.Continue Reading

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In: art

Spring is fast approaching and our attention is beginning to shift to emerging tree flowers. Among the first to appear are the many wind-pollinated species. Trees such as birches, hazel, oaks and willows have beautiful pendulous male catkins, or inflorescences, containing many scaly bracts (flowers) in place of petals seenContinue Reading

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In: art, news

Calling all foresters, woodland owners and tree spotters! A good example of a Wild Cherry Prunus avium tree is wanted by the authors of The New Sylva to be featured as an illustration in the book. The tree must meet the following requirements to qualify as a candidate for a treeContinue Reading

On:
In: art, news, woodland visit

Sarah Simblet and I have a long list of trees to find for illustrating as tree portraits in The New Sylva. We have identified already a few suitable candidates that we will be visiting over coming weeks.  Sarah wants to capture them before they come into leaf so that theirContinue Reading

On:
In: art

Sarah Simblet has been making the most of the cold weather, retreating indoors to illustrate some of nature’s tiny hidden wonders using a microscope. Exploring the collection of materials at the University of Oxford’s Herbarium, Sarah found a cross-section of a female cone from a Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris. TheContinue Reading

Winter Ash Haiku

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In: art, film

Afterlife tool and spoke Winter ash gale bend and yield Oak a merest nod Gabriel Hemery http://youtu.be/fZYMHKjnCbs During the recent winter gales in England I was inspired to write a Haiku poem. The amazing flexibility of the ash Fraxinus excelsior tree means that its wood is widely used in toolContinue Reading

environmental consciousness UN COP17 Durban December 2011

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In: art, comment

I wrote a year ago about Environmental Consciousness, when I created this image to encourage reflection of our collective responsibility towards the future of mother Earth. The landmark United Nations climate conference at Durban that ended December 9th 2011, reached consensus to start negotiations on a new accord that wouldContinue Reading

Fall in woodland

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In: art, environment, nature, photo

The colours and texture of Autumn are perfectly captured, with a hint of seasonal swirling winds. I love the idea of falling into the woodland; like disappearing down a silvan plug hole.Continue Reading

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In: art, feature, forestry

To celebrate the International Year of Forests, the theme for PostEurop’s postage stamps for 2011 is trees and forests.  Europa stamps have been produced by many European countries and demonstrate some wonderful and varied designs.  Here are some of my favourites. If you have a philatelic interest and want toContinue Reading

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In: art, photo

Early dawn in rural Oxfordshire, England.  The sun was about to rise over the Chilterns (left) early on this morning in June, and would soon illuminate the Wittenham Clumps, visible in the centre distance. Gabriel HemeryContinue Reading

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In: art, feature, trees, wood

“Walnut is without the question the most beautiful wood on earth, ranging from the colour of honey to the rich depth of chocolate-brown, often marked with smoky swirls and streaks of pigment from dark brown to black. The grain can be perfectly straight, elegantly swept, or a festival of waves,Continue Reading