"The classic lollipop shape of this tree delighted me, and reminded me of the wonderfully unselfconscious naïveté of a child's drawing. Its primitive shape seemed to be echoed by the leaves and the seed heads clustered around its ankles. It's a Sussex tree though and through - one of many standing with quiet dignity in Stanmer park, just outside of Brighton. I spend a lot of time there - mostly on the cusp of the seasons, looking for evidence of contrasts and contradictions. Because of the way I choose to approach my photography, I am totally at liberty to interpret colours in any way I see fit and an images such as these particularly lend themselves to a child's way of working. Here, the last gasp of summer gives way to an early autumn and I have chosen to exploit Mother Nature's colour palette to create a whimsical fantasy of indigo, ochre and pink."  Valda Bailey