How do you paint a million trees, branches, and leaves and still see through the forest to a grand view of the mountains far off in the distance? Well, you sit in the forest for two days doing plein air studies, eating sandwiches and looking. You watch and observe and commit to memory. You have to keep it simple but truthful. It's about color and the small negative spaces between the trees. You paint the background and the trees will appear. This series is ongoing and I'm still learning new nuances of reflective light and shadows. As I sat one day I watched a red tailed hawk build a nest high in the canopy. Amazing!

Fall Aspens