'Pruned Affection' - Original painting
Original painting- ‘Pruned Affection’
This black-and-white acrylic painting relays hidden experience. It depicts a bonsai tree that I originally photographed - a tree bought for someone, but never gifted. Over time, the leaves that were once in abundance began to fall away, and the plant slowly became a reflection of everything unsaid. A physical manifestation of something unfinished, undefined, and quiet. Visually focused on lighting and contrast to carry emotion. The light enters from the window behind the plant, casting soft highlights across the leaves and branches while leaving other areas in shadow. This gives a strong contrast emphasising the structure of the bonsai. The background is slightly diffused, allowing the plant to sit in sharp focus, almost isolated within the frame. The surface it rests on reflects some of that light, subtly grounding the composition while adding a stillness. The branches themselves feel tense and stretching, in search of something just out of reach. The contrast is exaggerated so that the plant feels expressive. Like in my other works, especially ‘Not at the Same Time’, there is a sense of distance and separation, but here it’s left to ambiguity. I titled this piece “Pruned Affection” because in reflection, this was the result. Less. As a bonsai is shaped through intentional pruning, this mirrors filtering and reducing feelings, even though initially in abundance, as were the leaves. The black and white palette heightens the contrast. No softness to hide behind - only light, shadow; presence. The reduced leaves echo change over time: once full, now minimal, but still rooted. This links closely to my wider body of work, where I explore time, memory, and distance through high contrast and selective detail. However, this piece is more intimate – less observation, more internal confession. An exploration of honesty. A visualisation of unexpressed feeling. This painting invites viewers to find something beautiful in sadness, The tree itself became something I struggled to care for, as it sat quietly as a reminder. This work holds a contradiction: expression and silence. A navigation of something that didn't get a chance to exist. Shaped, reduced, left behind. But not forgotten.
This piece is presented in a hand restored, hand painted vintage frame, adding a timeless quality, enhancing the character that this piece quietly holds. Dimensions for the painting 297 x 420 mm ( + frame & mount). This piece has been displayed with an art gallery alongside the rest of this collection. This particular frame has art glass, which stops the reflections from light - a desirable feature.
