Tree Study Finale, Pastel Painting, Shade Tree

This pastel study of the big shade tree is bringing my tree studies to completion. It will not be the end of painting trees, of course..

Shade Tree is soft pastel on Amersand Pastelbord, 8 x 10 inches from a photo taken in New Mexico last summer.

I worked on studying trees for the month of August. Maggie Stiefvater instigated the idea. At the time, I was working on cottonwoods and was not happy with the result, I decided to just follow through and investigate trees for the month.

The experience taught me a few things and reminded me of some I already knew.

• Each type of trees have their own structure, just like people or other subjects. A good skeleton will give you a good tree.
• Paint or sketch what you see, don't make Christmas trees or cotton balls. Suggest leaves in masses, don't do each leaf.
• Vary the greens, noticing if the green runs to the yellow or blue side. I like to have the compliment, red, in my trees.
• Take note of the time of day and weather.
• You can shape the tree with your sky or background color with "sky holes". The color in the holes is slightly darker than the sky or land.
• Like other landscape composition, you have to overlap and vary the height. I think this is important, even if in real life the trees make a fairly straight line.

Coincidentally on Friday, I received the Pastel Journal for October containing an article, "5 Takes on Trees". The first, Karen Watson has a very realistic style with strong color. Very appealing to my eye. She says she doesn't get caught up in details and changes the scene to better her composition.

Then Jack Pardue who agrees on accuracy in drawing but uses color to keep it interesting and full of life. Nice trees, I guess that is why they chose him, right?

Sarah Bee, focuses on light and minimizes detail. Exciting color with little true green.

Britani Faulkes says, My pastel paintings are often described as anthropomorphic." She paints the shapes more than details.

Brett Varney simplifies trees and uses unusual color and imagination in his oil pastel paintings.

In the end, each artist interprets trees in their own style and palette. I paint in a realistic way, so I need to keep closer to the actual colors and shapes. Practice and experience will help my paintings to convey my ideas and inspiration to the support and on to the viewer.

My tree study posts.