High up in the hills of northern Italy the terraces, long abandoned and overgrown, are being reclaimed by dedicated farmers.
In the story of this painting, my daughter Harriet and her husband Adriano find a bag of beans in a disused house, left there more than 50 years ago.
They plant them, and with the resource of fertile soil, sunshine and rain, the dried seeds burst into life.
The first year 5 plants. The second year 25 plants and a harvest!
After harvesting these brilliant, magenta-coloured bean pods, the spiraling stalks are a reminder of the latent power of an ancient seed.
