Lots of tree studies

Live Oak Study

8x10 inches

Acrylic on panel

I have been doing a lot of tree studies over the last month, getting my acrylic skills back and having a lot of fun with the process of painting. Sometimes doing multiple studies allows me to just free up and not worry about good or bad. I am switching between oils and acrylics regularly, to keep both skill sets up to par. 

I'm in Crystal River this week, using oils to paint the wild red cedars and cabbage palms. Great practice!

A Study

Tree Art

 

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

 

 

I've never painted the South Florida trees like the Royal Ponciannas, so this is my laughable first attempt. I won't give up. Eventually I will figure out the shape and correct colors. I'll probably have to do a bunch of them to get it right. Trees are hard. I am a north Florida painter. We don't really have tropical trees or plants here so they are a mystery to me. 

 

Pines

www.lindablondheim.com

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

This is the year of pines for me in my tree journey. It happens like that for me. I'll end up focusing on a species of trees and become fixated on studying them for some time. I got really interested in the pines in the Wekiva State Park back in March and have been keen on them since. I'm not really sure why pine trees are less popular as a subject than live oak trees or bald cypress. I find them to be thrilling as subjects. Once a forest ranger and research biologist wrote to me and asked why other painters don't paint pines and I had no answer for her. I love them!

12x16

Oil on canvas

3.5x2.5 inch studies

Nice to be recognized

I was delighted to receive a two page spread in an area style magazine this month. My advanced copies were delivered to my studio today. A wonderful thing for a tree painter!

Bald Cypress is done

Co National Champion Bald Cypress

18x24 inches

Oil on canvas

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

I finished this champion tree painting today in my town studio. It was a lot of fun and a challenge. This is the third in my series for the year, so I'm not making huge progress in numbers, but I certainly am enjoying the project. I plan to put together an exhibition in 2015 for the champion paintings, with a journal with my notes. It might make a nice book as well. I do tend to forget about the promotional aspect of these projects after I complete them because by then I have new projects to do. 

A painting in the champion tree series

Work in progress

Champion trees

www.lindablondheim.com

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

This is the co-national champion bald cypress tree from Mississippi. It is quite a challenge. This is session two. I have about two sessions to go. These champions are amazing! I'll show you the finished painting. 

A Pine Painting

Tree Art

http://www.lindablondheim.com

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

This painting was inspired by the 13 paintings I did on location at Wekiva State Park a few weeks ago. I learned a lot during that trip and process. I wanted to do a larger studio painting while I had the painting experience fresh in my mind. I spent a couple of weeks working on this 18x24 studio version, finishing it up just this afternoon. 

From all of these paintings, I learned to paint pines without too much detail and precision. A lot of the pine paintings I have seen are a bit overdone which makes them almost cartoonish and quite illustrative. Of course, it is a matter of preference for painters and some like the tight detail. I don't like slap dash sloppy tree paintings, but I do like to leave the viewer with the fresh quality of paint, not too refined. 

The most important elements I learned were color mixing for pine trees and the quality of masses of pine trees together in stands, as well as the design elements associated with pines in a field. Quite valuable knowledge to add to my tree painting knowledge. 

Oh trees! How lovely they are and how difficult to paint well for me!