Live Oak In Swamp

[PETE K]

To get away from the fruit before i go frutie. Here is a piece I did it's of a live oak in the stream over in Jacksonville FL. went on a paint out and did quite a few pic's in the earlly morning light. This is from one of many photo i did that day. Painted in studio from pic. 12/16 Canson MT. C&C welcome. Pic could be better.

[Dcam]

Pete; This is really nice, especially the foreground area. Do you think the background is coming a little forward (advancing)? The very vivid yellows and light tree trunks advance quite a bit. I am being picky here, because I like this very much.
Derek

[MCook04]

Pete:

No more fruit! I'll have to paint some more pears or something then. IMO, the water is the strongest aspect of this piece. The reflection looks very realistic.

Mike

[robertsloan2]

Pete, you know I love this sort of thing! When you start painting the wetlands and live oaks I'm all lost in nostalgia. This gets the atmosphere of some beautiful places I remember in Louisiana so well - and in Florida from a few very happy trips. Wonderful painting.

I like how the light is falling into the distance. Rather than knocking back the bright yellows, you could lighten the darks back there in the deeper plane to mauves to push it back and keep the sense of sunlight pouring behind the bend. The shadowed foreground, sunlit distance is a great idea in itself, just less contrast in that area might make the painting gain some depth.

Hope this helps! I love mauves and lavenders in landscapes that have strong greens, it just works so well.

[Donna T]

Nice one Pete! I like your still life work too but enjoy the views from your area very much. No way would I stick my foot in that water - I imagine eyes watching me from below!

[SonyaJ]

Nice work on this, Pete . Maybe softening the edges and colors (esp. the yellows) in the background tree foliage would add a little more sense of depth and keep the focus on the cypress trunk and its reflection [which is what appears to be the focal point to me]?

It looks like you enjoyed painting it, for sure!

[rsmith.1141]

Hi Pete. I really like the movement in this. Great path for the eye to follow back to the big tree. Nice!

[PETE K]

Hi Derek, thank you I didn't even see that untill you pointed it out. I'll play around with it a little more the light back there was that strong yellow morning light. maybe i can tone it down a little.

Mike i'll get back to it. I'm working my gallery today so i have been sketching in pencil garlic I tried doing a still life the day before with garlic in it and had one heck of time getting white on white to look like it. never mind i couldn'y even draw it. nothing like drawing from life and when you cant get it right there is no traceing.

Robert that sounds like a good ider. let me see what icome up with. thank you.

Hi Donna, thanks for the very nice comments. and for the eyes they are out more at night than the day time. not saying you dont see them at times. alot of dogs and cats go missing. mostly around lakes.

Hi Sonyo. I'm going to play with it a little more but the bright yellows where there IRL. so I will come up with something. thank you .

Hi Randy, thanks ever so much.

[ray7]

Like this a lot. Landscapes are on my to do list in pastels , hope I can do one half as good.

Ray

[chuas2]

This is gorgeous Pete! I love the reflections and the drapey stuff on the trees (what do you call that?), and the way you imply a lot of various kinds of foliage without being fussy about each leaf and twig.

I was really enjoying the fruits too tho. Tell me you're not totally abandoning the fruits!
Chuas

[aquabone]

i like this Pete- my kinda place-
i can imagine the warmth and herbaceous humidity!
thanks for sharing!

aquabone.

[David Patterson]

Very nice Pete...love the reflections!

[PETE K]

Ray I know you can do one as good as this. thank you.

Hi Chuas, It's called spanish moss. Don't know why? but it is. If you creat negative space and about a three or four values in the trees and bushes the eye and brain see it as trees and bushes.
and I'm still working on the fruit and vegies. I spent the most part of them trying to paint onions and garlic. I guess if you draw either you cant paint them either.

Heres a good point for the thread in talk about tracing your photo or others. working from life there is know way in the world to trece it. So you have to know some what or better how to draw. I think while working at the Gallery today i got quite a bit of time to practice. and while watching tv last night. The garlic is really starting to look like garlic not the flameing rock comming in from outer space with a long firey tail. I just have to remember to draw/paint what i see, not what I think it looks like like, cause it never is what you think it should look like.

And yes i did take my whole pieces of garlic with me to the gallery to work from.
Hi aquabone, thank you It's not quite that good looking in real life too many things in different direction that could have look better but for a big city park it was a nice little piece of life that looks good.

[Caddisman]

Hey Pete, nice job with the layering of vegetion, the rendering of the calm water, and the composition. I want to slide my kayak in there and see what's around the bend.

Bill

[Turpintine45]

Love the calm reflective water. (Don't want to know about the eyes) the texture of the grasses are great too. jen