The artist is: Eleanor Brown.  This is an original watercolor painting.  It was painted upon a very heavy watercolor archival paper.  The colors are rich and watercolor is a proven media to showcase the texture and color of bark. I should add: In the hands of a skilled artist. Of such is this painting.  The composition is simple enough to communicate an uncluttered dialogue. This artist obviously had an eye for this tree. Maybe even an affection for a tree that provided shade in summer and shelter from wind.  I can only guess...  It is not a tree of mystery, but perhaps only a common tree. Maybe it grew outside the artist's studio window. It could just as well have been in a park or a nearby walking path she frequented. The tree is a bit bent with age.  It's base is quite gnarled.  Therein lies the beauty of a common tree.  It takes the eye of an artist to compose something so common and honor it in a way that is obvious.