When I go for my favourite local walk I always pass these oak trees, and they have become my favourite group of trees because of that, I loved looking for the first growth of spring foliage on them this year, much delayed due to the cold and wet weather, and I love the full summer foliage, the autumn tones, and even the winter bare branches..so it seemed to me the other week that I ought to paint them!
This is the photo I used is this one, just before the trees were starting to turn into their autumn colour. I knew that I didn’t need to fence in the foreground, not the ones in the middle of the painting on the left. and decided to remove the left hand side middle tree as it detracted from the main focal point of the trees.
I used artboard for the painting, and painted it in acrylics as they are perfect for the effect I wanted of blotches of colour in the creamy sky, and the foliage in the background trees, and the main oak trees themselves. I drew out a simple thumbnail sketch to start with that reminded me whilst I painted that the trunks should be black, the sky a cream colour, and the mid tones of the background trees and grass. I wanted the light through the trees, and interest within the painting, in the form of the gaps in the foliage, as well as the dark branches. I painted the basic shapes in first with a large paint brush, then bit by bit built up the finer details with smaller brushes, It was also important to add the hint of tones to the dark of the tree trunks, and the upper foliage above against the darks, it adds far more interest. I used white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, ochre, burnt sienna, and bright blue for the whole painting, there is no black in it, the colour that appears black is a mixture of the other colours to add harmony.
The final touches were the gold of the trees replicated in the grass behind, and also the browns in the foreground to add harmony.
I think I’ve done the oak trees justice and really love the vibrant effects within this simple painting.
The painting is called ‘Autumn golds’, its painted in acrylics. the image measures 15 x 13 inches.
And heres the painting behind glass and the frame, which really add to the painting I think..
