Olive Branch with Green Olives

About this work

Unlike the other olive pictures, this branch does not grow from the bottom. It reaches in from the upper right corner and hangs down into the picture, as if seen from beneath a tree. The leaves are long and narrow, in sage, grey-green and deep olive, and several carry soft touches of gold along their edges and tips. Three plump green olives hang from the lower part of the branch, glossy and full, with small light reflections. The rest of the picture is open cream paper with a faint texture. The empty lower left corner balances the branch, giving the composition a relaxed, natural feeling, like looking up into an olive grove at harvest time.

Olive harvest in the Mediterranean usually runs from October into winter, when families and neighbours gather to shake the branches and collect the fruit on nets. Green olives are picked earlier, before they ripen to purple and black, and they give the fresh, peppery oil many cooks prefer. The olive tree has become a symbol of the slow, rooted Mediterranean way of life, which is why it now appears in so many calm, natural interiors. Painted with a light hand and only a touch of gold, this branch brings that feeling into a room without any rustic clichés. It is the most culinary piece in the collection.

Its natural home is a kitchen, a pantry door or a dining room, but it is calm enough for a hallway too. White, cream, sage and warm stone walls suit it; it also looks lovely against limewash or tadelakt textures. A natural oak or olive-wood-coloured frame fits perfectly; slim black frames make it more modern. Pair it with The Olive Sprig for a matching duo, and add The Golden Olive Branch for a trio with more gold. The high-resolution file prints sharply up to about 91 cm on the long side at 300 dpi.