Dancing Oaks by Riga Forbes

This painting is inspired by the powerful and emotive expression of trees. It explores the autumnal dance of the tall oaks in the forest when the canopy’s colours and fractured light through leaves are scintillating and diaphanous. It is an extraordinary time of year for these tree-giants and I have aimed to express and celebrate their majesty. This painting is part of a series of landscapes which include symbols of endangered and extinct creatures and plants. Those endangered are painted as red silhouettes for warning, and those which are already extinct are in white, as spectres of their former selves. The tiny white silhouette in this picture is the Large Copper Butterfly, now extinct.

‘I paint landscapes which express my somatic, emotional experience of being within the natural world and responding to its power, fragility, and temporality. Essentially, my work is about being in relationship with nature. My painting process involves invention and memory as well as finding inspiration by sketching and taking photographs outdoors before I begin painting in the studio. I work in oils because I love the brilliance and transparency of colour in oil paint. I want my work to convey a passionate sense of connection with the natural world, as a sanctuary for the human spirit.’