Marc Provins

These pictures were made using the natural light coming into my improvised studio, late in the evening just after the summer solstice. The leaves are from the gunnera in my front garden, which unconventionally I keep in a pot to restrict his size. They are native to Madagascar but he seems to quite like the moist Manchester air. Handling this precious creature is like reaching back to the Jurassic period, it looks like dinosaur salad and is believed to have been around for 150 millions years.  My English suburban front garden is a time machine.

Although I love growing and colour I wouldn't have chosen roses for my garden. I inherited these from the last owner of my home, and despite some tentative pruning and tying in they've been pretty much neglected. At the moment I have two high fences completely covered in them, literally hundreds, I feel like I should invite people around to see them, its a rather ridiculous, spectacular sight I feel I need to share. Whilst collecting these I got several injuries, which reminded me of their dual nature; all pretty and delicate on top whilst below they snag and catch with their razor like thorns.