Happy ever after, 2025
Oils on chestnut, image 28 x 17 cm

In Liguria there is a village on the coast called Sori. It has a small cemetery in which the family tombs are like small buildings positioned near a steep cliff so that they have beautiful views over the sea. Relatives coming to visit the tombs and put flowers on them can enjoy the setting, and I guess that they feel happy about their deceased loved ones enjoying the same magnificent views in some mysterious way. So I imagined a happy fungal couple revelling in the same scenery. This is the first painting directly inspired by the chestnut forests of Fossarino. It is painted on an old chestnut board that I found in one of the outbuildings. I was fascinated by the warm, weathered textures of the timber and so I hollowed out a rectangular space on which to paint the picture directly onto the wood. It took a lot of work with a router and it was difficult to get a perfectly flat surface. I like the idea of the painting and frame being made from the same single piece of wood.
Many thanks to my sister Kathy who gave me advice on the title. My original idea was “And they lived…”. Kath said that “Happy ever after” was better.