The Queen of Palms

I am fascinated with the wild date palms in the Arava desert in Southern Israel. They are not part of the native flora, but they have become part of the natural and cultural landscape of the Israeli desert hundreds or even thousands of years ago. The springs at which they grow have connected ancient trade routes for millenia. Today the palm trees are dying. I am painting them as part of an artistic research into understanding them as part of the landscape, and of our relationship with the desert surrounding us. This painting is a studio painting, based on a photograph of the palm in question, and two plein air studies on location. This palm is, different from many other trees, standing tall and proud, and feels like a queen looking out over the land that she reigns.