Branch Offcuts

When I started this series of paintings I had no Idea if I could keep it going.  By that, I mean can I sustain my own interest and can I find complex natural situations that that attract me.  So far I have been able to do just that.  I think the future will see some kind of change - that is just the natural progression of art.  I have a tree in my side yard, near my driveway and I had to remove some of the lower branches to get at the weeds under it - and, in the winter, I needed a place to put snow under it without breaking branches.  So I cut these branches off and laid them in an even pile (easier to pick up) and looked at them and decided to get the camera.  I took several photos and picked one that I thought had more potential than the others.  I fooled around with that photo until I got this composition - not too much branch and not too much needles.  The photo, taken in the bright sun, created a fast drop into black for the shadows.  That is what hooked me - that stark contrast.  Also, these are the underside of the branches so they present a different coloring than the top.  The needles are quite soft and a couple of inches long.  I got this tree and 4 others from my brother, many years ago.  They were a promotion from Mac Donald's.  They came in small bags and were just sprouted trees with bare roots.  I was building this house so I didn't have time to mess around with them.  I dug them into the ground in the woods out back and left them there.  One is still left, in the woods, very much smaller.  I have 3 planted, in the open - much larger.  I always thought they were spruce trees but now I am not sure.  The needles are like both Fir and Spruce, hence the vague title.



Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Framed with a black 3/4 inch floater.
Size: 24.5 inches x 30.5 inches
Price: $2,900.00 (This price does not include applicable sales tax or shipping)