Summer Afternoon & Bathed in Sunlight

“Summer Afternoon” shows a thick forest lit by glowing sunlight, the sun low in the sky. This painting was made using the same reference photo, which I took in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, that I used for my earlier painting Peaceful Forest. The mood in this one is totally different though–I can feel the warmth of the sunshine.

And here is “Bathed in Sunlight.” It seems to me like the trees are dancing! This is because of the movement I’ve created with the composition, the angles of the trees and curves of the branches which look like dancers’ limbs, and also because of the highly saturated colors, which gives a feeling of vibration. The thick green foliage fills the picture, from the background to the foreground, showing the forest as healthy, thriving, and full of life.

Notice the pops of bright turquoise color showing up throughout both these paintings. I’ve been incorporating this color, which is called Cobalt Teal, into my newest work because it delights me so much!