Lisa Adams's painting Rose garden 2008 has a surreal quality, but also recalls much older traditions of illustrated proverbs and folk tales. It comes from the artist's realisation that as she grows older her thoughts and experiences have accumulated, as have the thorns on the ladder. The painting suggests a determination to advance regardless, meeting challenges head-on.

This painting was based, in part, on a photograph taken by her partner as she climbed an old, wooden electrician's ladder, specifically sourced for the work.