Pecan Grove, Camp Limberlost, Sunny Side, Tree and Lake
Each 12×9″, Oil on board
Each $125 on Daily Paintworks

Over the years, I have learned that there are cycles in my creative life.  Inspiration comes easily in April and October when the weather is beautiful and the landscape bursts with color.  But the summer is a low point for me.  The hot muggy weather is draining, my day job is demanding, the landscape is mostly green.  The garden is overrun with weeds, but I don’t have energy to go outside.  Bah Humbug!   But I keep reminding myself that there is nothing wrong with me that October won’t cure.

While I sit on the couch drinking iced tea, I review my recent paintings  and look for ways to expand my body of work when I have more energy.  One theme that popped out from my plein air pieces is trees.   Not just any trees.  I’m taken with the personality of a particular tree.  Often the background has distant hills or a small structure in a supporting role.  I find that sunny days with strong shadows make me happy and encourage me to exaggerate color.   I will paint on cloudy days, but I fell more limited to local color.  I don’t include many details of the context in order to focus on the beauty and character of the trees.

At this point, I’m not sure where this process will take me.  I’ll add other pieces to the mix and identify connections to the subject matter or style of these pieces.  I hope that eventually I’ll be able to see the forest.

If you would like some of these trees to live at your house, the paintings are available for purchase on Daily Paintworks.