Brutal Palms

I have no idea why Palm Trees were the tree of choice for the Barbican Estate but whenever I paint them in the Sculpture Court, I get comments from followers of my Instagram page who live abroad saying they had no idea that the City of London could look "so much like tropical Florida". Whatever this brutal playground resembles, it is certainly a kind of oasis on the Estate on account of these spectacular trees and the way they are placed in the tall concrete sculpture that dominates the Sculpture Court. The brutal palms below my balcony allow me to explore the relationship between urban and natural landscapes and to give, what I hope is a new emotional representation to traditional representations of brutalist Barbican. The large, almost erotic foliage of these palms almost overcome the mere buildings. They contribute a new sculptural dimension to the landscape. They are all-encompassing – reminiscent of a paradise regained!