As if to seal a pact between past and future, the ginkgo - the tree of a thousand promises - is the guardianship emblem of our willingness to believe in the importance of beauty in our lives.

     As a little girl, Dominique Picquier used to play under the conciliatory and protective shade of a Ginkgo in the family garden: games of shadows and daydreams under the soft green and golden yellow fans.

     As if to seal a pact between the past and the future, the tree of a thousand promises did not leave her and its leaf, a tutelary object and symbol of longevity, became the emblem of her universe.

     Leaves assembled, recomposed, imprinted or rubbed in interlacing: a look at the fervours of childhood, rooted in the patient and reassuring memory of the tree. You may find in her original drawings, in her combinations of colours nourished by light, the echo of the trees, the trace of leaves and plants that guided her research and that she likes to share.

The Gingko

     Sacred and protective tree, ornamental tree appreciated for its fan-shaped leaves, the Ginkgo populated the whole earth 300 million years ago.

     Its name comes from Japan. The Japanese borrowed it from China where they called it ”silver apricot” as a reference to the silver reflections of the fruit, which is the size and colour of the apricot tree.

     Because it lives for a long time, the Far East associates it with longevity, a longevity to be wished to others as well as to oneself. And its seeds dyed red, the colour of joy, are offered in China for happy events.

     The Gingko is said to have survived the Hiroshima bombing and today, it embellishes gardens, parks and avenues of our cities around the world. Its curative properties, popular in the East, are today commonly used in both pharmacological and cosmetological preparations. To a point that Ginkgo is now synonymous with well-being.

     And when asked what her favourite colour is, Dominique may answer that it is the green of the Ginkgo that becomes gold.

   Now we may ask : what is your most beautiful experience with the Ginkgo?