PENELOPE OATES
Lonesome Pine
Soldering iron, ink and acrylic on board
94 x 125cm
A famous photograph from 1915 captured a solitary surviving Turkish Pine on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the only tree left on the ridge after Turkish forces cut down the remaining trees for timber to cover their trenches. This surviving tree marked the Battle of Lone Pine and was named the ‘Lonesome Pine’ after a popular song of the day. Despite the tree being destroyed early in the battle, Australian soldiers brought cones home from this tree… growing descendants that now serve as living memorials across Australia.
The lone pine stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and endurance, qualities that continue to resonate across the world today with continued uncertainty, conflict, and loss. Nature offers a quiet counterpoint to this…it shows us how to bend without breaking, how to regenerate after destruction, how to stand tall even when the landscape around us may have changed forever.
