A bare tree wearing an ivy sweater. A porch light watches you through the trees.

I’ve always been impressed by the vitality of Ivy. I can recall distant memories of my dad begrudgingly cutting back the invasive ivy in our yard, and I often wondered why he was so upset by such a resilient plant. Well, it’s because of this resilience that it would inadvertently choke my mom’s roses if not kept in control. Now, I’m in Maryland witnessing the same species of Ivy traversing forestry in a much larger-scale demonstration, and in the dead of winter where it is one of few plants that retains their leaves. This painting ponders this epic relationship between climbing Ivy and dormant trees in a winter setting.