Sunday, March 4, 2007

I love trees

(24"x30") I've noticed I have a lot of paintings of trees and forests. What can I say? I like trees. This first painting was done from a photograph I took near Lehi, Utah (right next to Thankgiving Point). I used to drive past this tree a few times a week and I always made a point to slow down and look at it as I drove past. One snowy day I brought my camera and captured the bare branches standing out against the insanely gorgeous sky.



I love this painting because I did it in 15 minutes. I had been experimenting with oil paint on paper because I love how it soaks up the color and is so rich and intense (this photo doesn't quite capture it). I stopped home on my lunch break one autumn afternoon and the tree in our backyard was so beautiful I decided to drag my easel outside and do a quick painting of it. I already had the yellow/orange painted paper so I added the trees and rushed back to work. I've tried duplicating the spontaneity of this (ironic, I know) but haven't been successful.


(20"x20") I like to make fun of this painting by calling it my "magical tree." The original concept was not captured. In a college painting class we were told to do a painting that was symbolic. I wanted to indirectly depict the Tree of Life without making it obvious that's what I was trying to do....well I guess I succeeded in that part. I wanted it to look regal and illuminating but instead made it pink with sparkly pixie dust floating down from the branches. That's okay, it kind of looks like an illustration for a children's book and one of my past co-workers liked this painting so much she commissioned me to do some paintings of bunnies hopping around in a magical forest for her daughter's nursery....(I probably could have done without that commission).