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28 GILL BAKER The work that I most relate to is the 'Oak Tree and Beech, Lullingstone'. I have participated in workshops organised by the Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme and these have cemented my knowledge and understanding of the beauty of Samuel Palmer's work and its connection to Shoreham. I often walk in the park and I am always excited to come across the beautiful ancient trees that are in the woodland and on the golf course perimeter. As I walk, I take photos to remind me of their splendour. I use the images to work from in my studio, focusing mainly on the shapes and colours within the trunk and main structure. I am fascinated to see the many undulations and marks that show how the trees have grown through and around obstacles over many years. Trees are remarkably resilient. I also like to sketch trees en plein air – I find this gives an even greater sense of the spiritual connection and impact that Palmer described when writing about oak trees at Lullingstone. The smells, colours, textures and sense of place add to the experience and influence the drawing. I love the majesty and nobility of the ancient trees, and wonder about the scenes and the changes they have witnessed over their many years. When I work from these magnificent gnarled oaks, I am overwhelmed with emotion at the realisation that Palmer himself probably sat and painted the very same trees nearly 200 years ago, and at that time they were already several centuries old. I used charcoal to draw the oak on site, and then added colour with soft pastels in my studio. I added the orange background to enhance and complement the tones in the tree and as a nod to the vibrant colour that Palmer liked to use to push his images forward. My second painting was derived from the first, picking up more detail in the trunk and branches. I used soft tones and then added lines with acrylic pens to emphasise the shapes. Oak Tree II, Lullingstone Park Charcoal and pastel on paper W W W . G I L L B A K E R . A R T

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