I bought an aloe vera plant last week and put it next to the window in my bedroom. Every morning since, I have woken up and gazed at its thick, juicy spikes. It is now part of my life, which is why I am painting it. 

I have painted trees, faces, mountains, strangers in the distance and even the odd still life, like the aloe vera plant I’m painting now. I’m not finished yet, but I can already see it’s a ‘Nicola Wiltshire’ painting. I have painted the aloe vera like I would paint a face, or even a forrest scene.

The aloe vera is painted on a woven pattern from The Fabric Mill in Dundee. It kind of reminds me of something you’d find in an old Scottish castle, which is slightly odd when forced into harmony with a tropical plant and lashings of bright blue. It is roughly 100 x 60 cm and painted in oils. More updates on my instagram page @dundee_painter