California Hills

California Hills

8x10 original oil painting
SOLD 

I find painting pure landscape paintings similar to painting abstract paintings.  The lost and found edges are very important to define shapes that suggest a tree, a cloud or a path.  I took Randy Sexton's plein air workshop this summer and he talked about lost and found edges and manipulating your brush to create a variety of edges. While I was working on the painting above, I kept concentrating on the way I was handling the brush.

Eucalyptus 4, Woodside

Eucalyptus 4, Woodside

8x10 original oil painting

There are more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, but only 15 species occur outside of Australia. In the 1850s, Eucalyptus trees were introduced to California by Australians during the California Gold Rush. It was hoped that they would provide a renewable source of timber for construction and railroad ties. The wood was found to be unsuitable, so instead Eucalyptus trees were used as wind breaks in many rural areas.

My painting shows a Eucalyptus grove off of Canada Road.  I was attracted to the white bark on the tree contrasting with the dark trees in the background.