Painting Trees and Patterns of Light and Dark

Tree Patterns
oil on panel, 7x5

Here is another plein air to studio painting.  I started it in a park in Mount Dora, Florida over a year ago.  I liked the slender, curly branches and the colorful foliage in between the trunks.  After I returned from my trip, the painting sat in a pile in my studio, half finished.  Everytime I looked at it, I thought it had potential.  Last night, I jazzed it up with some brighter colors and more contrast.  I used my imagination and memory.  It was no longer a literal representation of what I had seen.  Sometimes it helps to think of a painting as an abstract, and just focus on the shapes, colors, lines, patterns, and contrast.  I think this one will make a good study for a larger painting.

Peace River Study

Around The Bend
oil on panel, 6x6

This scene is from the Peace River as seen at Morgan Park in Arcadia, Florida.  I used one of my photos taken during a plein air session.  This location is an hour drive so I will need to rely on my photos for some of my paintings.  The colors in the water were changing constantly while I was painting and taking photos.  In this view, I liked the curved shape of the river and the skinny branches.  The Peace River is very peaceful except for when obnoxious noisy airboats go by.

Tonal Series

Stillness
oil on panel, 7x5

I've started a series of tonal paintings.  By tonal, I mean scenes with soft, subtle light, preferably early morning or late in the day, and muted colors.  This was a quick, plein air study of a marsh on a grey day.  I am amazed at how the colors in water change as it reflects the sky above.  My last few plein air sessions have been focused on water and trees.  In this painting, I barely suggested the background trees and treated them as a simple shape.  I also used some textural effects instead of a more literal representation, in order to express the quiet mood of the marsh.

Year Of The Tree

Quiet Afternoon
oil on panel, 5x7

This study was done at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota, Florida.  Everytime I visited the park I noticed how beautiful it was, and I wanted to come back and paint.  I finally found time to spend a whole day painting there.  This was the painting I did in the morning, before the clouds came in.  There was an alligator slowly floating around at the other end of the lake.  I saw egrets, herons, osprey, anhingas, and vultures around the lake. 

I am calling 2015 the year of the tree because I am planning on doing many plein air tree paintings.  The best thing about painting trees in the Southeast is the spanish moss.  It reflects color and changes with the light.  I have seen gray, green, yellow, lavendar, and red tones in the spanish moss.

Tree Study

Repose
oil on panel, 7x5

Painting on a cloudy day is usually a challenge.  The sun was shining when I started my plein air session in the morning.  I finished one small painting of a tree by the water, and then I turned and saw another view that I liked.  After I started "Repose" the clouds were coming in.  There was still enough light to have some soft shadows on the tree and the ground, and some reflections in the water.  The range of colors was limited, but I had some contrast to work with.  I like painting a fairly strong contrast between the darkest dark and the lightest light.  I named it "Repose" because it was a very quiet, peaceful afternoon.

Lovers Key State Park

The Silent Hour
Oil on panel, 14x11

On the path to the beach at Lovers Key State Park in Fort Myers, Florida, there is a boardwalk next to a mangrove swamp.  I set up my easel on the boardwalk and tilted my umbrella to give my painting some shade.  It was early in the morning, and very quiet.  Herons flew across the water as I painted.  Some rested in the mangroves.  After a while, beachgoers started to walk past me.  Most of them stopped to look.  I have gotten used to painting in front of people, but I still find it hard to paint and answer questions at the same time.  I admire the plein air teachers who can do a demo and talk at the same time.

Three Sailboats Revisited

In Between
Oil on canvas, 16x12

Sometimes I use a small, plein air study for a larger, studio painting.  I never want to merely make a larger copy.  Instead, I try to use the study for inspiration, and also use my imagination while I make a new and different piece.  In this studio painting, I added a lot of texture and layers.  In some ways, it is very similar to the original study, but it has even more of an impressionistic, painterly feeling.

Here is the original 8x10 plein air painting: