OTSOG 001 Japanese Silk Lilac

Japanese Silver Lilac (Syringa reticulata)

Wax treated Watercolour and Ink on ACP, Solid Wood Frame
22x30

On a dying branch of an urban tree, new life emerges.  Japanese Silk Lilac (Syringa reticulata) is native to Japan, but commonly planted as a street tree in Southern Ontario, popular for its medium size and attractive fragrant flower clusters. While hardy to zone 5, this tree is very prone to spiral radial cracking through freeze-thaw cycles, as observed in the many dead and dying branches of the subject tree.  

This radial cracking makes Syringa reticulata wood very difficult to source commercially, despite its interesting coloration and very hard wood. 

The frame for this piece is made of small, thin slices of closely related Syringa vulgaris wrapped over an ash hardwood core.