Featured Post

Good Morning Gunnar new watercolor of the Grand Canyon

Missing the Grand Canyon today. Here is my new painting “Good Morning Gunnar” in tribute to the genius Gunnar Widforss. This is the view he ...

Friday, October 10, 2014

Huddled Oaks, Plein Air Watercolor

Huddled Oaks 11 x 14 Plein Air Watercolor

This was painted as practice for the Sonoma Plein Air Event last month near Chalk Hill. I hardly ever paint under cold and foggy conditions, but felt like I needed to practice in case the weather was cloudy.. I was attracted to the shapes and subtle colors of the oaks, especially the one on the far right bravely reaching across the top of the ridge.
As we are in a terrible drought, I couldn't help wondering about the survival technique of taking root at the top and ?driest part of a ridge. This scene also made me wonder if the other side of the ridge was wetter. Another idea in the painting was how simple I could make the vineyard and still have it read. I didn't want detail in the vines distracting from the trees.

Huddled Oaks (Detail)

No comments: