Winter Berry Branches Poster

Clusters of deep red berries crowd along four upright branches, painted in thick, visible strokes that leave ridges standing in the paint. The background is a loose wash of sage, pale yellow and grey-green, worked thinly so the branches read as the only solid thing in the frame. Stems cross and overlap without much regard for botanical accuracy, which gives the piece more energy than a careful study would have. The red runs warm rather than bright, closer to rosehip than to postbox. It carries winter without reaching for any of the usual seasonal shorthand.

The red is strong enough to anchor a wall on its own, so give it room rather than crowding it with smaller frames. Against a white or pale grey wall the sage background stays cool and the berries do the work. A dark wood frame deepens the red, while oak leans the whole thing towards the green. It earns its place in a kitchen or a living room from late autumn onward, and it does not have to come down in January.