Golden Oak 14 x 14
You've probably noticed I am pulling back from my usual bright colors as I am learning about what makes a good tree portrait. The nature of depicting trees is that what you choose to paint and what you choose to leave in really makes or breaks a painting. The leaves make it very busy if you don't figure out how to simplify them.One idea that has helped me is to think of the trees in terms of the gesture they make with the trunks and branches. What is it doing? This was sort of implied in my last post where I titled the painting " Tree Pose".
This oak was leaning over the hill and I liked how the branches to the right were reaching down. This was also less than five miles from my house, I am painting very locally this fall.
Update :Katherine Tyrrell did a nice write up about this painting on her blog Art of the Landscape". She's writing a series on Autumn Paintings that is a great primer on how to paint trees. I've been following it and enjoying it very much. http://art-landscape.blogspot.com/2011/11/golden-oak-autumn-landscape-7.html
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8 comments:
wow - I really love this piece!
Your work is always so unique and beautiful, Robin... I love it!
His watercolors are among the best I've seen in a long time, Robin. : )
Very nice Robin. A simple subject well executed.
Cynthia, glad you like it, Marian ,thanks, this is a tree I've passed many times and painted in my head, Thank you Sadu and David, nice to hear from you ,will you be in Hawaii this winter?
Yep, back to Maui for a week of painting in Feb. Can't wait, we had our first snow flurries here yesterday. Looking for a chance to get back to CA too.
Hi. I've been trying to contact you to let you know that your artwork and blog have been critiqued at Artist.Blog.Critique!
You got a really great review
http://artistblogcritic.blogspot.com/
Thanks Tony, a very readable and helpful review, Your blog is must reading for artists trying to market online, I've added your site to my favorite links and highly recommend it.
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