Site 2: Chestnut Stories

Site 2: Chestnut Stories

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This fallen chestnut is a poignant reminder of a blight that destroyed the species nearly a century ago. A thriving chestnut sprout is seen in the foreground, but it will die of blight before it has a chance to mature. 

To tell this sad story in a drawing, the log and sprout are pushed virtually into the viewer's lap. The ground, in reality, is heaped with complicated leaf litter; were it rendered leaf by leaf, it would become a distraction. Much of the surrounding area is left unfinished, connected tenuously by trunks, branches and leaves, while the inward-pointing tree trunks are slightly exaggerated. Everything converges on a focal point- the dead heart of the chestnut and its doomed sprout.  foreground, but it will die of blight before it has a chance to mature.