Fallen Far From the Tree

Stained glass
40 x 40 cm
2026
 
Artist Statement
 
Fallen Far from the Tree depicts a detail of a rounded body curled up surrounded by apple leaves and blossom and meditates on cycles and contradictions. The focus on the stomach, thighs, and breast amongst the blossoms is a celebration of fertility and creation but also suggests pain, constriction and fruitlessness. The title is a nod to the Fall; the figure could be Eve, cursed to suffer increased pain with childbirth. It is also part of the phrase ‘The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree’, leaving the viewer to consider inherited pain, comfort, joy, and creativity, as well as questions of the future (particularly with proposed legislation changes: will life be the same or different for women in stained glass)? The piece was partly inspired by the work of Margaret Isobel Chilton (1875-1963) in Ely's Stained Glass Museum.