Step into a magical realm with this hand embellished limited edition painting by artist Kerry Darlington.

Notice how some of the critters stare back at you, while tendrils of the tree curl enticingly, drawing the eye inward to the multi-hued menagerie that makes a home among its branches.

Highly stylized and ornate, the candy-coloured whimsical creatures and other keepsakes are characteristic of Darlington's illustrative flair, artfully juxtaposed to fill the canvas with life and movement.

Kerry returns to the Tree of Life series with this breathtaking new 60 x 38 inch (image size before framing) painting simply called 'Tree Of Life - Gold.'

A Tree Of Life piece typically has the short large stump and then lots of branches coming from it but in this new Unique Edition, Darlington has further developed her original idea.

Apart from being layered with various embellishments and handmade, 'placed on' pieces, you also notice that each branch ends with a curl and this allows your eyes another level of focus.

It dazzles you, as you almost automatically flick from the placed on pieces: birds, butterflies, jewels, then to the perfectly formed gold leaves and then to the 'swirls, 'as the end of the branches.)

Did we forget to talk about the beautiful coloured background the tree is painted? So much for us to admire here.