Apple orchards

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I have been working on painting this apple orchard inspired from back in the fall. I was taken by the fall colors as much as the rolling land and distant mountains. What really captured my imagination are the areas between the trees which seem to convey this organic open space.

When I originally put down my first washes they were very abstract shapes but it did not read as I intended. Thus, I had to unite all these separate landscape elements such as the trees, grass and distant mountains. I used a lot of burnt sienna which artists often say is an important color in landscape painting. Even though the painting is not yet finished I used burnt sienna in the foliage of the apple trees and in the warmer tones of the grass which unites the foreground with the middle ground.

The post in the foreground was moved from the right to the left side of the picture as a way to better frame the vista. I intend on refining the grassy growth in the foreground.