Today’s tree study is a pair of pine trees in our backyard, while a small space it’s packed with a large variety of Holly shrubs and Photenia. The previous owners had a real love for planting trees and shrubs, beautiful they may be they’re a lot of work. Notice no branches on the lower part of the trees, as these pines grow taller the lower branches loose their needles and eventually the branches fall off. Every so often you’ll find a hawk out at the hanging out on the top branches looking for its next prey.
This oil pastel (7×5) was painted on Mi-Teintes cream tinted pastel paper, using mostly Senneliers and neopastels. As the temperatures warm up around here the harder it is to control oil pastels, they melt easily in my hands – a little greasy, but fun. Used mostly the OPs stick itself, clay shapers and my fingers to move the paint around.
Hope you enjoy – thank you for checking in.
Texas Pine, Day 5
Oil Pastels by Mary 
Nothing like the fingers;) Love the breeze blowing through!
Thanks Elena – ah yes, the warm Texas breeze. In Maine it would be the afternoon cool sea breeze. All the same, you got it!
Do you have to keep your oil pastels in the fridge sometimes?
Thanks for asking – I don’t, but I do know others that keep their OPs cool. For me, it’s just a reminder when it’s hot outside to go slow as they’ll be a slippery mess and when it’s cool out they’ll grab more and produce more texture. While this can be a frustrating aspect, it is also why I like the medium – you can achieve a variety of effects with it.
You’re beginning to show signs of faint ability, Mary. Keep it up and who knows where this will take you …? I think perhaps an A+ for this one. [grin]
Thanks M.R. so glad you are staying the course with me – I like the grade!
I really enjoy your tree challenges! Each time is different, different color, different light, different texture more or less details, is engaging to watch the mastery of your brushes or whatever tool you choose to use!
Thanks Eva, glad you are enjoying the project. In the end I think that I’m going to appreciate that I forced myself to stay with the course, even though it’s taken away from my other paintings. I have a couple more close-range trees and then the rest will be mid-range views.
These are beautiful as was your aspen. Funny, I don’t recall TX being heavy with trees but was only in Austin area. Btw, I don’t see my comments on your posts thru the reader. I do hope you are getting them! I hate how the reader won’t go thru to the blog itself and don’t understand what WP is thinking making it this way. Ah well… Have a great weekends! xxx
Thank you Linda. When I first flew over TX I kept thinking to myself (remember coming from Maine, where trees are as plentiful as weeds) where is all the trees and green? But there are actually more wooded areas than one would expect, so that’s a surprise to me. The former owner planted some 20+ trees so we have our own little forest.
That’s lovely to have trees of that age already there. I’m sure that was one of the reasons you wanted it! I had the same thoughts when I flew over it and frankly, they didn’t change much on the ground!😃
When they say, big sky, living in TX gives me an appreciation for gorgeous skies.