Dapple

"Dapple," Acrylic on Board, 48x60"

I finally finished my big painting today.  It is a view from Laguna Gloria - gorgeous trees over there.   By the end of a painting this large, I am SO ready to be done, though the last few bits (adding final shadows and highlights) are fun.   I'll be getting back to the daily paintings next week.

Grackle on Yellow

"Grackle on Yellow," Acrylic on Panel, 5x7"

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I've been swept up in the making of an extra large (48x60") painting this week and haven't been able to keep up with my daily paintings.  So here's another grackle to tide you over.  :)

Florida Tree

"Florida Tree," Acrylic on Panel, 7x5"

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I forgot to put this up yesterday.  It's the last in my Florida series (not much of series, I guess...).   Though the light was interesting (see above), most of the trees down there couldn't compare with the live oaks in Austin.  The banyans were close, but I never got a picture that delivered on the impact of those trees in person.

Orchid

"Orchid," Acrylic on Panel, 7x5"

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Breaking my tradition of not doing flowers again... here's an orchid.  My step-father actually grew this - amazing!

Florida Red

"Florida Red," Acrylic on Panel, 5x7"

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I was off-blog last week due to spring vacation and a trip to Grammy's house in Florida.  I don't typically paint flowers, but the colors on these were so striking, that I couldn't help myself.

Soft Tree

"Soft Tree," Acrylic on Panel, 9x12"

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I'm continuing to play around with different foliage treatments in a slightly larger format.  I like how the softness contrast w/the strong lines of the trunk.

Tree Shadow

"Tree Shadow," Acrylic on Panel, 7x5"

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I find the shadows of trees almost more interesting than the trees themselves.  It has gotten to the point that I won't even collect reference unless the sun is bright -- the trees just don't seem complete without their shadows.  Or maybe I've just been watching too much Peter Pan with the kids...

I like how this one turned out a lot.  I've been volunteering for an organization called Little Artist Big Artist and as a result, I spend one afternoon a week at a local public school with an 11-year-old boy, presumably teaching him what it means to be a professional artist.

Here's what I've learned from him (so far):

1. It can be really effective to have strong, undiluted shapes in the composition (see tree above).
2. I've fallen into a bit of rut w/my brushwork and need to keep trying new ways to manipulate the paint (see leaf treatment above).
3. I'm woefully out of date with my video-game knowledge. 

Black Bird on Red

"Black Bird on Red," Acrylic on Panel, 5x7"

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After a large painting without any black, I needed to reset by doing another of these creepy black birds.  Plus, I got to use my new favorite color scheme.

An Absence of Black

"An Absence of Black," Acrylic on Board, 30x40

I tried something a bit different with the palette in this one and I'm not sure if it works.  The overall image seems so bright...and I guess I prefer a bit more gloom/drama in my trees.

BTW - I fully intend to get back to daily paintings next week.  :)