Tree Vista Painting

Tree Art

Early Summer

18x24 inches

oil on canvas

You can purchase my tree paintings on my web site with free shipping, or at my 

Loft Studio in Gainesville, FL

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

This was a great scene to paint with several spaces between trees. Creating the distance with textural and color temperature changes was a great and fun way to create the depth I needed in this vista. Add to that the painting was 18x24 inches and I did about 90% of it on location alla prima. The bugs were biting and it was humid, but I truly enjoyed the process.

I have been a bit out of sorts with color recently, so I have gone back to my favorite single primary palette for awhile to get myself reigned in. This is a palette that I love and have used for many years when I want to make color mixing easy. It is quite versatile and will produce quite a nice range. Here it is:

Ivory Black (Daniel Greene)

Titanium White (Gamblin )

UB ( Old Holland )

Cad Red Light ( Gamblin )

Lemon Yellow ( Windsor and Newton )

Any brand will work with the above palette.

My favorites are:

Gamblin

Old Holland

Windsor and Newton

Shiva

Daniel Greene

Grumbacher Pre-Test

Utrecht

Painting limbs, twigs, and branches

Tree Art

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

This year in my quest toward excellence as a tree painter, I am studying limbs,twigs, and foreshortening in trees. This is an area often avoided by painters because it is really hard. I see lots of paintings of trees with limbs to the sides of the trees. I understand. It is  a struggle to learn these elements of trees and to do them well. I am on that path for the year to try and figure this out. 

Everything about painting trees is challenging really, from the roots to the scale as they rise up into the sky. It is like trying to paint a tall building correctly. Hopefully, my trees will get better and better as I struggle along, but painting is so hard that in a lifetime I won't figure it out. That is the good news!!

Back From a Residency

Cedar Trees

Bird House

Tree Art

Notes from my Tree Painting Journal

I've been painting at a four day residency at BIrd Island on Florida's Gulf Coast. There are a variety of trees on the island, but Sabal palms, Red cedars and tall Long Leaf pines are the majority. This is typical of coastal islands in North Florida. 

The palms lean in the same direction, having been buffeted by the wind I imagine for many years. They, along with several of the pines and cedars are advanced in years.

The island is lush and left natural, but for the yard area around the house and the boat dock area. I managed to complete four 12x16 paintings during my stay. That is a good size for alla prima work with oils. Large enough to challenge me without being overwhelming. Since I had four days only, I wanted to spend my painting time efficiently and still get good paintings rather than slap dash studies. There will be a bit of touch up in my studio with better light, but they are just about done. I expect to spend no more than 15 minutes for touch up on each. 

This was a wonderful opportunity to study Florida's trees.

More tree fun with oils

Tree Paintings

Notes From my Tree Journal

I've been enjoying painting the fields with new color and tiny wildflowers blooming everywhere. it is the perfect time to be out studying trees. The color is that impossible shrieking green that is so beautiful on site, but so deadly for a painting. It looks fake and unnatural if you try to duplicate it. I have learned to be judicious about overdoing the intensity of color in the spring.

I like to use the following to neutralize greens:

cad orange

yellow ochre

Naples yellow

ivory black

cad red light

raw umber

red oxide

Just a touch of the above will tone it down a bit and make it more manageable. Here is to spring and green!!

A commission

Painting Commissions

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

I finished this 40x60 commission this week. It was a good challenge for me because the palette is not what I usually do for tree work. The client has teal colored leather sofas and wanted the painting to be in harmony with their furniture. The challenge was coming up with the right mixtures to give it the colors that would create interest but not stray too far from the initial ideas for teal. The clouds were very important to the client as well as the teal color. They wanted a subtle, soft painting so I did not get caught up in a lot of detail in the grasses. I kept them soft and cool in temperature, using the trees for the most interest and texture. I moved the larger tree down forward into the field to create another interval and heightened its color and values slightly to create depth..

Observing Trees to Paint in Studio

Landscape Art

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

This is a painting I've wanted to do for some time. It is a favorite scene for me at Fair Oaks. It was the last painting I did at my residency there last week. I am back in my own studio for a few days and leave again to go paint the trees at Wekiva State Park for a week, leaving here on Sunday.

There was more than one angle of this tree group that was nice, so I may do another one of this scene in the future. Staying at Fair Oaks made it possible for me to drive out to the scene several times to sit and look at it for a bit between painting sessions. The longer I paint, the more convinced I am that really observing a scene rather than painting it is a good marriage between studio painting and the real outdoors. I enjoy painting on site but not as much as just observing and taking my ideas back to the studio to work on larger paintings. I have painted on location for about 25 years now and have gone through many experiences, good and bad paintings and gradually have come to understand that I am simply a better studio painter. I now think of plein air as research for studio work. It is fun, but simply a means to the end in my studio.

There is so much to learn about painting trees that I expect they will keep me occupied with practice for many more years to come, both on location and in my studio.

Cusp of Spring

Tree Paintings

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

This painting was a nice challenge. The digital image has a glare on the right half, so it looks washed out. I love painting these groupings of trees with their intertwined branches and limbs. It is always my favorite theme for paintings in between seasons. Just that week or two between the seasons is fascinating to paint. It is a reoccurring theme in my work.