Willow Tree

11x14 inches, acrylic on canvas board (on top of the other river scene)

I've been playing around with painting along the Rock River, doing some outdoor sketching, some photography, and painting from both.  I want to paint outside, but I'm also a wimp.  I don't like to paint when it is windy or cold or raining, and it has been all of those things lately.  So, this was the result of a sketch and a photo reference I took at Riverside Park in Beloit. I swear, I was going to simplify forms more, and use more imaginative color, but I got all caught up in layers of color and, well, it is what it is. The painting does suggest what I like best about early spring, which is the effect of the first yellow green leaves and grass in an otherwise brown landscape.

I painted this tree in 2008, then last year there was a fuss about the tree when the parks department trimmed off the picturesque low-hanging limb.  Supposedly the limb was dangerous to park users, but I suspect somebody got a new chainsaw and wanted to try it out.  Maybe that's unfair.  Anyway, I closed on the twisted branches overhanging the river, and ignored the areas of amputation.  I may try painting this again in a different style.