Beech Fall

Oil on Board, 12 x 17 inches

This one is all about the complementary colours that give the subjectit that zing - the orange against the blue/grey of the distant woodland, making the warm tones 'pop'.  

Beech trees, in England at least, give the most spectacular leaf colours in Autumn and throughout Winter, their leaves somehow hanging on to the twigs for a long time, and the crunch of stepping through a carpet of Beech leaves (in a dry Autumn!) is such a tactile pleasure. Painting such a carpet of russet and orange presents a challenge, and for me, it is only convincing when layer upon layer of paint is applied, some with my 1" decorators brush, some with an old hog, some with an old rigger and a lot with the tip of my pointy palette knife. Eventually, the surface is almost three-dimensional, being almost sculpted!

The trunks of Beech trees are also interesting to paint, and with strong sunlight coming from the right, the lit sides are a creamy-green, the middle (nearest the viewer are a the darkest tone of brown/purple/grey, and the left sides appear slightly lighter and greeny-brown. It's the observation of all these subtle changes that make the painting appear that bit more onvincing of reality...hopefully!