Trees
Bark of a Russian Olive (series of 8), oil on canvas, 18" x 24"
The best time to capture an outdoor scene on canvas is early morning or late afternoon when the sun is streaming through the leaves of trees, enhancing their color and leaving a patchwork of light and shade on the ground. Trees are of particular interest to me--the changing colors of the leaves as the summer turns to fall, and the structure of bark, with its varied textures and striations, which are often splashed with colored lichen.
Russian Olives:
In a nearby park, where groves of Russian Olive grow, I began sketching and photographing the bark of individual trees, eventually producing a series of "bark" paintings. The trees' rough surfaces are rendered in great detail, and by eliminating the background and focusing on the striations of the bark and abrupt changes in color, the paintings take on a somewhat abstract quality.
Russian Olives:
In a nearby park, where groves of Russian Olive grow, I began sketching and photographing the bark of individual trees, eventually producing a series of "bark" paintings. The trees' rough surfaces are rendered in great detail, and by eliminating the background and focusing on the striations of the bark and abrupt changes in color, the paintings take on a somewhat abstract quality.
