Oil on Linen, 250cm by 160cm by 4cm, 2023

The great forest of Caledon was a huge native forest which extended across most of northern scotland. Alexander has reimagined this vista of old growth woodland from observations around loch morlich in the cairngorms national park. This forest scene is made up of scots pines, heather underbrush and a river winding through the composition. Once the haunt of wolves, lynx, wild boars and brown bears, centuries of axe, fire and saw have reduced the forest to less than one per cent of its natural range. The Scots pines of the Caledonian Forest are directly descended from the first pines to arrive in Scotland following the Late Glacial; arriving about 7000 BC. The forest reached its maximum extent about 5000 BC, after which the Scottish climate became wetter and windier. This changed climate reduced the extent of the forest significantly by 2000 BC. From that date, human actions including the grazing effects of sheep and deer reduced it to its current extent.