30 Paintings In 30 Days - Days #18 and #19

Yesterday and today I worked on a few small projects for Arts In The Park coming up, yikes, TOMORROW!

Three different trees on three different types of media.

The bonsai tree on the left is watercolor on 3x5 watercolor greeting card stock.

The willow in the middle is watercolor on 5x7 watercolor canvas.

The cherry tree on the right is watercolor on a 5x5 gesso treated wood block.

Watercolor Tree Paintings 

Art Journal - Winter Tree

Decided to get in a little practice today by painting one of the trees in our back yard.

Winter Tree

30 Paintings In 30 Days - Day #26 - Happy Little Tree

"Maybe in our world there lives a happy little tree over there."
      - Bob Ross

Painted this one in a cloud of fatigue at 3 a.m. When I shared it, I was told it was "a very happy looking tree." The name has stuck in my head.

This painting is growing on me. I like it.

Happy Little Tree

30 Paintings In 30 Days - Day #25 - Tree In Meadow

This is one of those paintings that just came out of nowhere. No reference photo. No clue what I was going to paint when I started. Just a desire to paint SOMETHING, and a vague impulse to paint a purplish sky. 

30 Paintings In 30 Days - Day #23 - Autumn Tree

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
      - Albert Camus

I am sticking with the tree theme today. I have a limited amount of time at lunch, and it is much easier to paint one of my small trees when I am in a bit of a rush. Definitely more relaxing as well. The tree below was painted in watercolor on 4x6 Kilimanjaro natural white block paper.

I thought the quote above was so cool the first time I ever read it, and I still love it. I like thinking of autumn trees as a garden in bloom, full of little "flowers" bursting with color. From a distance the leaves may all look the same, but when you see them up close they are like snowflakes, in they all have slight little variations in their shape and color that make them unique.

And every year that tree "garden" blooms just a little bit differently, so you can always look forward to a new and exciting show. God is an awesome gardener!

Autumn Tree

30 Paintings In 30 Days - Day #22 - Another Tree

"The trees are God's great alphabet:
With them He writes in shining green
Across the world His thoughts serene."
      - Leonora Speyer

Anytime I make a painting that I am really disappointed in (like last nights quickie sunflower - BLAH), I like to go back to my favorite subject: trees.

Even when a tree painting doesn't turn out quite the way I wanted, I am still happy, just because I like painting trees.

Shoot, the trees are my favorite part of any painting. Even when its just some vague, loose blobs in the background to hint of a treeline or forest, its my favorite part to paint.

Why? Because trees used to make me FREEZE. Totally. My first sketchbook has 3 drawings I did not complete because I had NO CLUE how to make the trees in the foreground or the background. It was a major sticking point for me.

My teacher tried to explain it to me, but without seeing it, I just wasn't getting it.

I'll never forget the night I had a breakthrough. I was sitting with some of the kids at a Parents Night Out I was hosting at my school. I sat out some watercolors for the kids to paint with, and I decided to sit down and join them. I was painting a pond I had fished at once that had woods along one edge.

I remembered my teacher had told me the trees did not have to be detailed. You just had to get some basic shapes in and let the viewers eye/brain make them into trees. So I loosened up and just splattered them in (well, thats what it FELT like anyway.) I was totally amazed when it WORKED. It looked like a treeline!

The kids were all looking over going "Wow - I didn't know you were an artist."

I was like "uhhhhh, not exactly, but thanks."

It was just a quickie little painting on a scrap piece of paper, but I was so excited. I remember how thrilled I was to show my teacher that I had MADE TREES!!!

That painting is still sitting on my desk.

So, tonight's painting attached below may not be anything special, but to me, the fact that I am able to accomplish even that, is a pretty big deal.

Watercolor Tree on 4x6 paper