An artist has paid tribute to the Sycamore Gap tree by painting it on used tea bags in different settings.

The much-photographed and visited sycamore was cut down overnight between September 27 and 28, 2023, which sparked widespread anger and upset.

Caroline West said she was "devastated" when the incident occurred, which prompted her to pay homage to the "iconic" tree through painting it in different seasons, including winter and autumn, as well as at night-time and "against a sunset sky".

Caroline West said she was devastated when the incident occurredCaroline West said she was devastated when the incident occurred (Image: Caroline West /PA Wire) In order to make the creative tributes, she began by drying out used tea bags, cutting them up, scraping out all the tea, and ironing them flat.

The edges were then taped, the tea bags were placed on backing paper, a base layer was applied, and she used acrylic paint to create the four different scenes.

She began painting the miniature works of art roughly two to three months ago, with her favourite being the autumn one. Despite having never visited the Sycamore Gap tree, Mrs West said she has always felt a connection to it.

Since August 2023, Mrs West has painted other popular landmarks on used tea bags, including Stonehenge, Tower Bridge, and Durdle Door.

Despite having never visited the Sycamore Gap tree, Mrs West said she has always felt a connection to it.Despite having never visited the Sycamore Gap tree, Mrs West said she has always felt a connection to it. (Image: Caroline West /PA Wire)

The 50-year-old who lives in Waterlooville, in Hampshire, told the PA news agency: "I love nature and my artwork has always been inspired by nature and I love trees – I just think they’re amazing and they’ve all got a story to tell and it was just a really senseless thing to have happened.

"I’ve been painting British landmarks (on tea bags) for a little while and this was just something that really jumped out at me when I was doing research on landmarks.

"It’s inspired loads of artists and poets and creative people for a very long time, so it’s just something that I really wanted to capture.

"I could paint endless ones of them because there’s so many beautiful scenes of it you can do with the different seasons and different skies."