Why do I paint trees? I’ll let you in on a secret
Painting trees is my passion why? As a child, I used to explore the woods on my bike. I’d cycle off on an adventure sometimes alone or with friends, but we always ended up in the woods.
I think my love of nature began there, collecting acorns, interesting leaves, catkins etc. Sometimes we would set up a tent, and sleep over. We sometimes made a bivouac using broken branches and bracken. Scout camp built on these activities with night wide games, camp fires and building bridges. Sadly the time spent stirring porridge, with watering eyes, from the thick smoke did nothing to endear me to porridge or cookery.
Once back home, the leaves would be dried and pressed into scrapbooks, and sketched or painted and names of the trees added.
Here is a Munt Jac deer seen in Elveden forest in late February. I spent a week there sketching and painting, in cold weather, always below 4 degrees.
Painting trees is my passion.
Here I am looking up the majestic trunk of a redwood tree at Longleat forest last Year. I had to paint this from photographs and sketches, as I was keen to avoid a neck ache, or worse from the two hours or so in that posture.
I just love the strength and majesty of these trees, and have painted them before.
Not only do they give us life, by creating oxygen and consuming carbon dioxide. They also provide building materials for boats and houses, fences and furniture and many of them outlive us, if we allow it.
These redwoods can grow from three to ten feet per year and can live for 500 to 1000 years at maturity.
Here is a photo of more redwoods at Longleat forest. With my bicycle I rode all over the UK when a teenager, staying at Youth Hostels along the way. It was a good way to meet others enjoying the countryside. I used to love cycling on tracks through forestry commission land, and could sometimes spend a whole day without seeing a car.
Woodlands
Here is an oil painting of a clearing in the woods at Blean near Canterbury. These woods are quite dense and dark and I can often walk quite a long way before finding a good painting spot. For a painting to really work, a light source is needed, preferably where the sunlight can break through the canopy to reach the ground. This painting illustrates that rather well.
Here on the other hand, is a painting made on a cold and grey day at Elveden forest in Suffolk.
If it hadn’t been for the daylight bouncing off the water, then this painting wouldn’t have worked.
The grey light and lack of sunshine, result in a narrow range of tonal contrasts, with no dark darks, or bright lights. Neither are there any shadows present.