Catch up

 My last post was in February so this post is a “catch up” to now.  I have been sharing paintings of beach leaves through the seasons.

End of May

Middle of May

Beginning of May

Tightly folded like a fan and bound in a conical enclosure, the new leaves emerged and unfurled spreading their canopy of green. 

Beginning of May

In March I chose to paint an image (below) of two tenacious leaves using transparent watercolor. The thin, transparent nature of watercolor helped to suggest fragility and the ethereal quality of the faded, longest lasting leaf.

Here is a Wendell Berry quote from “New Collected Poems” called “Ripening”:

“Our hair turns white with our ripening as though to fly away in some coming wind, bearing the seed of what we know. “

March

Beech Glow

 Today is the last day of February. Here is another winter painting to mark the day.

One cold day the sun shone on a single curled leaf. The glow created by the sun’s radiance was striking. I tried to emulate the sense of light with oils on canvas. The golden hue was enhanced by the gleam of shiny oil paint. Wanting to express a sense of quietness and solitude, I left space around the single leaf.

Beech Leaves in Pastel

Twist

A blanket of snow provides a crystalline background for beach leaves. The powdery pigment of pastel on sanded paper helps to suggest snow in the paintings. Here are two more paintings of beech leaves. One is called, “Twist” and the other one is called, “Swing”. Both measure 7.5” x 8”.

Swing

Beech Tree Leaves

Beech trees grow in a patch of woods where I walk each morning. Due to the phenomenon called marcesence, the leaves of American beech, Fagus grandifolia stay on the branches until buds of new growth open in May. The leaves  began to fade from light orange to tan during the snowy months, all the while tenaciously clinging to the branches. This is the time when the leaves offer a sense of individuality. Affected by time and weather, the contracted poses such as curling and wrapping are captivating to observe. Here is a 10” x 10” oil on canvas painting called “Curl”.

Curl