“Texas Trees” is a bit of a lesson in taking a not-so-obvious plein air subject and making a painting of it. A good lesson! As I’m growing as an artist I’m learning to make paintings based on their abstract design and not primarily making paintings of things.
But I still focus on things when Myrrh and I drive around looking for the next painting. We’ll see a barn and our eyes go straight to that. Or a pond with trees behind it. But on this day Myrrh and I were out painting with our friend and instructor Steve Parker and he suggested painting these two groups of trees. In art there is always something to learn!
Edit: A few months later I painted a larger painting of this same scene using my plein air painting and photographs. I sold the smaller plein air and kept the larger painting. These Texas trees made such a great subject!