Outside my studio window we planted a “bois” (or little forest) of plane or sycamore trees in a courtyard. The sycamore has been a favorite choice for parks and avenues throughout the western world because of the abundant foliage in the summer offering shade and respite from the sun for recreation. The sycamore is witness to the evolution of cultures; gazing down on park promenades, benches filled with locals and pitanque matches.
The sycamore is a statement in elegance for every season. My icon of the sycamore celebrates the unusual bark that grows like camouflage, peeling off to reveal a new tender wood flexible enough to stretch and grow with the tree. The canopy sprouts in spring growing to giant hand shaped leaves 15” across. The seed pods present as little faceted balls that hang like ornaments until the winter winds burst balls into a bouquet of seeds. The corner anchors are the Greek symbols of the seasons, following the image from the upper right clockwise is spring, summer, autumn and winter. I am listening to the music of the wind in the leaves.
