Oak and Hickory

Oak and Hickory

Oil on paper mounted on panel, 9 x 12, Summer 2015.

I do apologize for the long absence.  I’ve been quite busy in painting and other matters, and this blog will probably be updated somewhat erratically for a while. 

Actually, I’m not sure if that tree on the right was a hickory now.  Whatever.  I think this was the most remarkable plein air work I produced last summer.  Of course, like almost all my plein air works, I thought it was a miserable failure until I no longer had nature in front of me to compare it to.  This was a three hour session on one very hot day in Elon, NC.  I was working with the Ridner medium in my paint.  As the medium contains wax and is very temperature-sensitive, it puddled at first, but somehow it did not seem inclined to run when on the support.  There was only a small war for me to fight with the fire ants this time (ants seem to be drawn to terre verte on my palette for some reason), as I had placed a cup with the residue of a sugary drink a few feet away from me as a decoy.  So I could really focus, with the help of God. 

I got some really lovely impasto and brushwork for the leaves, and some beautiful contrasts of color.  I think it’s gem-like.  The dappled light was an afterthought added in the last fifteen minutes when the position of the sun changed.  I’m somewhat regretful I didn’t put some light on the right tree, too, but it just wasn’t there in life, and I didn’t want to mess with success without a reference.  That black butterfly was around for the full three hours, but I only added it at the end. 

I was so pleased with this oil study, and it does qualify as a study rather than a sketch (this is HRS terminology in case any layman is reading), I made a 16 x 20 studio picture based on it a few months later.