Trees Painting Study

Tree Painting

 

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

 

 

This is a painting study, 8x10 inches. I don't know why this image is so bad. The canvas texture is showing through the painting. This is a portal between trees at Fair Oaks. I've been playing around with mixing greens and studying with some neutrals. I toned the canvas with Ivory black first and then used UB with Ivory as the block in for my darks in the painting. I added mixtures of cad orange, lemon yellow, yellow medium and ochre for the various greens in the canopy and field. I put the brightest color in the field beyond the trees. Lots of fun using a limited palette and neutrals.

 

A new Tree For Me

Tree Art

A New Tree For Me

 

 

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

 

 

My heritage and champion tree project has begun to morph into a project of painting trees that I personally think are special. I have never painted a Flame Tree, also known as the Royal Poinciana Tree. They don't grow this far north in Florida but are quite common in south Florida. I wanted to paint one because they are so spectacular, I  really enjoyed painting this one with the South Florida palms with the long fronds. The painting is more subtle than this image shows. I wanted to keep much of it neutral to show off the tree without competing with it.  I am beginning to study neutrals in palette adjacent to powerful intensity. I see so many of the paintings of this tree where everything in the painting is bright.

 

 

This one was very fun!

 

Finished 40x60 Trees Painting

Tree Art

 

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

 

 

I finished this 40x60 tree painting on Monday. It is drying for a couple of days and will go to my retail studio to be installed on Saturday. There is a glare on the canvas on the top left side, so the sky and clouds look a bit off in color in the image. I had a great time with this painting. I love to work in a large format.

 

 

I am studying Royal Poinciana Trees a bit, as I want to do a 20x24 oil on one. I'm in the research stage, doing small acrylic studies right now.

 

A Large Trees Painting in Stages

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

 

 

Stage 5

 

I'm working on a large trees painting in stages this month. It is 40x60 inches on deep gallery wrap canvas. I will continue the painting around the edges for a clean finish without framing. it replaces another trees painting, exactly the same size, that sold two weeks ago.  I love working on the big paintings. They really make a statement to viewers who come in the studio. I'll show the rest of the stages when it is finished. I'll be done this week.

 

Palette:

 

titanium white

ivory black

ultramarine blue

turquoise blue

yellow ochre

cad yellow medium

cad yellow lemon

cad red light

 

 

A big painting

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

The above paintings are possible compositions for my next 40x60 inch Live Oak Painting. I sold the 40x60 painting I had in the town studio on Thursday. I have ordered a new canvas which will arrive in about 2 weeks, so I am busy doing various composings  for the next big painting. 

I'll do some miniatures as well to help me decide on palette as well. It is always exciting for me to do a large format tree painting. I can only do them as one sells. It is very hard for me to store large paintings and expensive to do. I'm excited!

Field Three Live Oak Tree

Tree Art

 

Notes From My Tree Painting Journal

 

 

I recently got back from a painting residency in Crystal River, where I spent 6 days out looking at and painting studies of the marshes. The thing that I wanted to study the most was the atmospheric quality and depth of these large flat vistas. I also put in quite a bit of time studying unusual color in the cloud formations over the marshes. Late in the day I saw quite a few yellow and orange creamsicle color in the billowing cloud formations as they began to heat up and grow spectacularly.

 

 

Now that I am back in the painting studio, I'm using some of that observation in my tree paintings as well.  Here is a marsh painting done in studio since I returned home.

 

 



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!