Largest and oldest summer oak forest

Artwork created for Blind Walls Gallery.

Blind Walls Galley: "The Liesbos is a beautiful nature reserve with a rich history. It is the largest and oldest summer oak forest in the Netherlands. From the 15th century onwards, the forest was owned by the Nassau's. Noble people could comfortably hunt here for blue herons, that have been in the forest since the Middle Ages. From 1795, the forest is accessible to all people.

In addition to the heron, a "fever tree" can also be seen in Heavenleigh Jeroense's painting. There used to be a large plane tree in the Liesbos, surrounded by beeches. This tree was used as a fever tree, a tree on which people who got the flu hang a piece of clothing or cloth to get rid of the fever. Today there is a fake fever tree in the forest, the real one was cut down in 1931.

The mural was made in collaboration with Wijkraad De Rith and initiated by residents from the neighbourhood.

Heavenleigh Jeroense, also known as Hemelsisdenaam ('Heavenly is the name') is an illustrator and visual storyteller from Tilburg (NL). Heavenleigh graduated from art school in 2020. She gets her inspiration mainly from nature and her own experiences and findings. Mental health and stigmatization are important themes in her work.  With her work she hopes to encourage people to self-reflect."