I love collecting souvenirs from walks and travels: fallen leaves, empty shells, rogue feathers. If you open any big hardbound book on my bookshelf, you’re likely to find dried leaves and flowers tumbling out. I think these elements make me feel more connected to the places I’ve lived in. I made this piece with leaves I collected from walks around Cambridge. The first leaf is from the gorgeous tulip trees that line the avenues in the Backs in Cambridge. The second is from my Pilea (Chinese money plant) — note how curly the edges are though they appear perfectly round on the plant. The third leaf is from the Beechwoods Nature Reserve near Great Shelford. I love looking up at beech canopies and how the angle of sunlight can change the colours! The golden-red cherry tree leaf (‘winds I’ve weathered’) is from the High Street, Cherry Hinton — a street that was home for four years. Both maple leaves are from trees in Cherry Hinton Hall Park. The oak has become familiar now, I picked up this classic beauty on a road near my place. The bracken leaf is from a hike in Eskdale, Lake District — the plant carpets the ground in autumn and winter, turning the lush green of the hills into a soft brown. The Oxalis triangularis (pretty flower-like leaf at the bottom) is a houseplant I dearly love, one that has provided much joy through the pandemic. The second last leaf is from the mostly-ignored pile of leaves that collect below my Ficus houseplant, one I’ve had for over many years. I picked up the gingko (last leaf) from the shower of leaves that collect on the sides of Mill Road in early autumn. I like how they’re one of the oldest species of tree (with all others in the family being extinct) but to me they always look fresh, new and welcoming.
