Trees in perspective - Delphian Open Call 2021

I'm working on this series on perspective.

Looking up at the trees around me I ponder on the fact that they have been there before we got here and will be here long after we're gone.

Today I need to reflect on the perspective of my tasks and challenges, think about how much I can influence and change right now, and what will take its natural course of growth past today and this season.

Perspective is a fascinating word.  It could mean the way you look at something in the 3D space, looking at trees from below and above. Or perspective in the passage of time.

I meditate on the fact that from the perspective of time, the trees that I'm painting outside my house existed before I was born.  And they will be here long after I'm gone. My brush with these trees and this wood is fleeting.

They start off small and end up big, yet another perspective.

Each picture shows trees from a different perspective.

Up Close

Up close against the tree trunk. 

It is a very tactile painting because it uses both matt and gloss paints. You should be able to feel the texture like you would the bark of a tree.  The dark shiny black is gloss enamel and allows you to feel the change from rough to smooth as you drag your hand across the bark.

I've used a combination of Acrylic and Oil and in parts you can see that the paints are not mixing.  The Oil is riding on top of the Acrylic just like an oil spill.  Because it is an oil spill!

Underneath

Lie on your back and look straight up into the trees.  Can you see the bare winter branches or the broken light through the canopy in spring?

I've combined white and black acrylic. Adding gloss enamel on top to give it a feeling of texture.

Looking Down

I'm quite excited about this painting, I love the chaos.

This is a drone shot or birds eye view of the trees.  Looking down through the canopy in a perspective we never see, looking down into the ground below, the shadows and the reflections in the puddles.

Looking Up

Looking up into the trees.  When you're overcome by the size and majesty of a tree you often look up.  It makes me quite dizzy as the tree trunk disappears into the sky.  So many other great trees seem to be reaching to grab the sun.

It has a layer of enamel gloss over it, so some of it is Matt and some glossy.

Along the Path

Walking along the path. I'm planning on the light coming through the woodland onto the path and the trees.  So it should get whiter and I'm planning on reflecting some gold on the tree trunks.

Trees in perspective is my submission to the Delphian Gallery Open Call 2021

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