Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Painting Pine Trees


Notes From my Tree Painting Journal

Since March of this year, I have been painting pine trees frequently. I had the opportunity to paint them live for a week at Wekiva State Park and have been attached to the subject ever since. I've been using some interesting greens for pines, since that week and getting pretty good results. You can see the variety in this new painting of the east hay field at Fair Oaks in Evinston, FL. It is a fine scene indeed to paint. 

I've been using a more controlled approach to my palette this year, with a more subdued gray green as you see in the pasture and an accent of intensity as you see in the front tree. The sky is a warm gray rather than blue. I'm in the early stages of this approach so I expect it will get easier as I grow with it. I had gotten very dependent on using cadmiums for green and too much saturation. I am slowly trying to find a better and more nuanced approach rather than just slapping on bright green. I am liking gray more and more.