The Survivor, for at least 1200 years

The Survivor (at Shangri La, Orange, TX), Pastel, 9x12

Bob Rohm - what a great instructor he is. Very generous with his time, he unlocks little mysteries that surround landscape painting. While taking a workshop from him, I purchased his painting, Evening Color. It was an award winner, a landscape with a grouping of trees. The main tree, in the foreground, is rendered so believably that I truly feel I could reach around the tree. Bob used value and color with a mastery that is my gold standard for tree painting.

Landscape painting is a struggle, a constant string of what-if's. I try to make it about shapes, masses, light and shadow. As with any other subject, it takes lots of doing to get it right. So my summer is dedicated to the "lots of" painting landscapes. I love painting the sky: clouds with big color, soft clouds, dramatic ones and subtle ones, receding and directly above ones. I think I paint skies ok - but can I paint a tree I can reach around?

Shangri La in a little Texas town? Yes, it's a beautiful mix of botanical gardens and nature center, with a terrific history, in Orange, Texas. The boat tour down Adams Bayou drifts past a tree aged to perfection during its 1200 years. This tree of unbelievable beauty is the one I dared to paint, hoping to reach the bottom rung of the Rohm gold standard. Track the progress with these photos. In the first photo, small guide marks quarter the paper; this helps with initial drawing. The sun was behind the tree, so most of the beautiful yellow greens were obscured by the foliage.

Does the final painting make me feel the volume of this giant? And the main challenge - can I see AROUND the tree?