"The Aspens"

($40.00.....6" x 6".....water soluble oils on gessobord)

"Give it up for the aspens." Many artists have depicted aspens and this is my version. They really are quite stunning when they light up the fall landscape. The reference photo I used was taken in Santa Fe, N.M.

Much can be learned about variety and alternation by studying the landscape. I chose this photo because I like the alternating effect of the aspens with the evergreens. I am continuing to push the depth by slightly changing each stroke. It takes a bit longer to do, but I believe it's worth the trouble. It would have been very boring to use one solid color for each tree. This is an important thing to remember whether moving towards realism or working in total abstraction. The repetitive and different strokes create variety. And by varying the direction of the strokes and using a fair amount of paint, the light reflects off of the surface in a beautiful way.

Notice also how the exposed tree trunks and branches create nice divisions of space and even an occasional diagonal. You might want to experiment by simply taking a palette knife and mixing up one color in its full intensity, then add a bit of the complement....followed by white, and then repeat this in different percentages and overlay the strokes and make each one going in a different direction. It's quite fun and gives practice in color mixing and how to dilute a particular color. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.