Six years on, The Allerton Oak is again the subject of a new painting, enabling me to take a fresh perspective on this most venerable of trees.

Having first painted the Allerton Oak in 2013, I took the opportunity in this commission to depict it in Spring, capturing the tree from its quieter northern side. The leaves are just emerging, beaten to the quickening sun by the bluebells.

On the many field visits, the screech of owls, jays and woodpeckers lent a rather unearthly aura to this very special place, just off a main road on the outskirts of Liverpool.

The opportunity to spend many weeks in the studio observing this tree is a privilege and each time I pass the Oak there is a certain relationship I am aware of, which I cannot help but wonder if the tree also recognises.

For APW