There have been many changes this past year, and as if falling in line, my art has also changed. After years of painting figures, I’m finding the tropical nature of plants around me fascinating.
These palm trees are the beginning of a series that is unfolding with curiosity and adventure.
Have you ever focused on something and then had it appear everywhere in your life? That has been my experience with Palm trees. The way they both stand tall and bend in the wind, inspires me. I hope you find these paintings very soothing and relaxing.
I liked how some palm trees looked growing in the parking lot of a shopping center and shot the reference photo below.
I started with an underpainting of transparent red oxide and then laid out the palm trees and elemental composition
I simplified their shapes and created an abstract beach background.
I played around with the colors and luminosity painting the bottom section darker and then lightening it again, as shown in the final image at the top of the page.