Hugging The Blackthorn

This painting is part of a series that was stimulated by the flowering of hedges of blackthorn I would see on walks with my dogs back in April. The blackthorn has a long history of associations with religion and witchcraft. It was said that the crown of thorns placed on Christ's head was a wreath of blackthorn twigs, and the tree in many cultures became a symbol of death. The long and formidable thorns were said to be used by witches to pierce the wax images of victims to whom they meant harm. In this painting a small and naked person clings to the trunk of a blackthorn tree. Large thorns can be seen projecting from the trunk and branches, and the tips of thorns can be seen projecting either side of the vulnerable body. Does this then mean that the figure, by virtue of hugging the tree, is also being pierced by thorns - a fact we cannot see, from our viewpoint, to verify? Is this an act of masochism brought on by a kind of religious fervour? The black spikiness of the tree and its potential to do harm, is contrasted with the white, delicate and beautiful flowering of its blossom. The tree presents to us a contradiction of danger, pain and death and a delicate, life-giving beauty. With this potent symbolism it is no wonder the blackthorn became the tree of the Crown of Thorns.