Asian Tree Painting Monet A red-and-white checked cloth drapes

A red-and-white checked cloth drapes loosely beside the basket

stems and petals reaching in every direction against a soft

as though built from salvaged industrial parts

where stout barrel cacti and tall columnar saguaros rise from a riot of flowering succulents

their pale flanks streaked with shadow and crowned by grassy green tops

Asian Tree Painting Monet A red-and-white checked cloth drapesThis striking composition looks up into the canopy of a mature ginkgo tree in full autumn gold, its dark trunk anchoring the centre of the frame. Sturdy branches fan outward like ribs, dividing into an intricate lattice of twigs that hold a dense ceiling of amber and saffron leaves. The near monochrome bark, almost slate grey, stands in bold relief against the blaze of yellow foliage, while fallen leaves carpet the ground at the foot of the trunk. The