Fructus Vitae – Fruit of Life
A celebration of abundance, continuity, and the enduring rhythms of life
Size: 30 x 30 inches (circular)
Medium: Various kinds of glass on an iron substrate
iNSPIRATION
Fructus Vitae was inspired by my travels through Himachal Pradesh, where rolling hills opened into apple orchards alive with an abundant crop. I remember men and women plucking ripe fruit into woven baskets, the air perfumed with the sweetness of apples and earth. Those radiant reds, glowing against green slopes, became a lasting image of joy, vitality, and life generously offered.
In naming this mosaic as Fructus Vitae, I have drawn inspiration from the ancient vocabulary of Mediterranean mosaic art, where fruit often symbolised abundance, renewal, and the quiet fullness of life.
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eXPRESSION
In Fructus Vitae, ripe apples bloom at the centre of the mosaic, like small worlds of abundance, recalling the fullness of life held within a single moment. The radiant apples sit within a Roman-style braid—an ancient motif of continuity and protection—suggesting the cycles through which nature renews itself. A band of gold encircles the fruit, glowing like a halo of ripened sunlight, radiating warmth and prosperity. The surrounding green border evokes the quiet serenity of an apple orchard.
Together, these elements create a composition that feels both classical and alive, celebrating the nourishment — physical, emotional, and symbolic — that sustains us through time.
I have chosen to redefine the Fructus Vitae mosaic as a cocktail table top, allowing the warmth of the ancient Roman world to enter contemporary living. Its classical rendering gently weaves history into moments of hospitality, where conversation slows and veers towards art. Bathed in the glow of fresh apples, the mosaic becomes a celebration of life’s simple pleasures, as the fruit’s natural radiance breathes warmth, optimism, and quiet joy into the space.