Trees command a presence in the landscape. They frames views into the larger scene and depict character like no other element in the landscape. Trees that shed their leaves every season turn an attractive color in fall and cast a lovely silhouette against the snow in winter.
I am saddened when someone cuts a mature tree down in their yard as it is such a loss to the community. In most cases it took years to reach the size it commands yet the loss of habitat and other environmental qualities such as their cooling affect in the summer or perches for birds, to sit on, is lost for some time. In addition, often people don't allow trees to reach their full potential or overcrowd other vegetation around them which forces constant pruning or removal.
Whether they are deciduous or evergreens, trees add so much to a painting. This tree was primarily painted with burnt sienna and pthalocyanine green with a little bit of ultramarine blue at the base of the foliage to add more depth.
Often when I paint an evergreen I combine payne's gray with alizarin crimson and pthalocyanine green. This paint combination results in a cool dark green which is very soothing as a backdrop for some focal point.
Over time trees begin to change the contours of the landscape as their roots take hold and create micro-climates all unto themselves.
