Nature reclaiming spaces once shaped by human lives. 2026
Treetops draws on two recurring sources within Adrienne Rewi’s practice: trees and the ungoverned landscapes of Christchurch’s residential red zone following the earthquakes. Where homes once stood, established trees and remnants of domestic gardens continue to grow, creating spaces that are beautiful, unsettled and rich with memory.
Adrienne spent several years photographically documenting these changing areas. Those images were later donated to Christchurch City Libraries, where the Adrienne Rewi Collection can be viewed through Canterbury Stories.
In this work, bright yellow-green canopies rise above dense passages of black, burgundy and rust. Energetic lines and layered marks suggest trunks, tangled growth and traces of what existed before. The landscape appears to hover between cultivated garden and regenerating wilderness.
Treetops considers the slow removal of the human imprint and the return of land to a less controlled state—a process that continues to resonate within Adrienne’s work many years after the earthquakes.
This expressive work would bring colour and depth to a living room, bedroom, hallway, study or collected gallery wall, framed with generous matting to give its energetic composition space to breathe.
Mixed media on Fabriano watercolour paper 420 × 297 mm
UNFRAMED room image shows a framing possibility only
Nature reclaiming spaces once shaped by human lives. 2026
Treetops draws on two recurring sources within Adrienne Rewi’s practice: trees and the ungoverned landscapes of Christchurch’s residential red zone following the earthquakes. Where homes once stood, established trees and remnants of domestic gardens continue to grow, creating spaces that are beautiful, unsettled and rich with memory.
Adrienne spent several years photographically documenting these changing areas. Those images were later donated to Christchurch City Libraries, where the Adrienne Rewi Collection can be viewed through Canterbury Stories.
In this work, bright yellow-green canopies rise above dense passages of black, burgundy and rust. Energetic lines and layered marks suggest trunks, tangled growth and traces of what existed before. The landscape appears to hover between cultivated garden and regenerating wilderness.
Treetops considers the slow removal of the human imprint and the return of land to a less controlled state—a process that continues to resonate within Adrienne’s work many years after the earthquakes.
This expressive work would bring colour and depth to a living room, bedroom, hallway, study or collected gallery wall, framed with generous matting to give its energetic composition space to breathe.
Mixed media on Fabriano watercolour paper 420 × 297 mm
UNFRAMED room image shows a framing possibility only
