Tortola — SOLD

48 x 60 inches

In the British Virgin Islands of the Caribbean, the largest of the islands is Tortola. In January early this year we collected our wits and Air Miles and went for ten days to stay on this tropical island. Running away from the Canadian winter it seemed to me the essence of a tropical island. Wild, dense, chaotic, and with steep mountain roads that terrified us. The BVI cars are American and the roads are British so everyone drives right-hand drive cars on left-hand drive roads and since the roads are full of potholes and narrow, the locals drive fast and relentlessly in the middle of the road until they see you. This activity increases the shock value of every journey.

The environment however is incredible. Dense, pulsing, green banks of foliage rise up majestically from the side of the ocean. Its as if the vegetation is vibrantly excited with the thrill of being alive. Our room was up on a hill facing this dense foliage and each morning I would get up and sit in the shade of the garden tree and sketch. This painting is created from a pen and coloured ink sketch on one of those mornings.

I use my traditional technique of streams of colour to indicate the invisible but tangible energy of the vegetation, and the crowning wisps of white cloud in a clear blue sky. Some of the plants can be seen in profile at the base where creeping vines, banana leaves and shrubs break into the moist white light.

This painting is very large – 48 inches x 60 inches, mounted on a 1.5 inch stretcher. It can be rolled for shipping if necessary and re-stretched on Delivery.