“Ornamental Cherry Tree” 36″ x 48″ oil and metal leaf on canvas – $4,000
I paint in a series and have been doing a lot of autumn views of Japanese maple trees lately, but I started noticing how many ornamental cherry trees were blooming in our neighborhood. I usually like to paint brighter colors, but I have found that white and pastels look very vibrant contrasted against the metal leaf backgrounds.
I also find it challenging to combine the delicate colors and shapes of the blossoms with the darks of the trunk and branches, so the new images have really been inspiring me to do a series on just cherry trees for awhile.
Toning the metal leaf with a thin glaze of oil paint adds some dimension to the painting and I’m always surprised when a color emerges from this process to look different from what I anticipated. This new technique for me of combining oil paint and metal leaf is a constantly intriguing experience.
Most of the trees that inspired me are close to homes, so I was not able to photograph them, but a shopping center nearby had several of the trees and I was able to get enough shots for inspiration to paint several in the series. This painting is the first to be completed.
