Talk about character . . . apple trees are loaded with them. Each tree having branches with large knobs and elbows – they are a fascinating fruit tree to see and the older the tree the more pronounced these characteristics become.
Apple Tree, an oil pastel (10×8) was painted on a gesso-prepared hardboard with Senneliers and Holbeins brand OPs. An acrylic underpainting was done using only ultramarine and white for establishing forms and values, but also to allow the color to peek throughout the painting.
Apple blossoms are loaded with delicate hues of pink and when in bloom orchards look like large bouquets of pink flowers as far as the eye can see. There is nothing like seeing an orchard in bloom with clear blue skies ~ it’s a scene that I never grow tired of. Click onto the image for a larger view.
My interpretation of a reference photograph taken by my friend, Steve Lyddon, not only a very talented artist, but photographer as well from pmp.
DON’T TAKE MY IMAGES!! MY ART IS COPYRIGHTED.
PLEASE DON’T COPY OR USE THE IMAGE WITHOUT RECEIVING MY PERMISSION FIRST – SEE DISCLOSURE ON THE RIGHT PANEL.
Oil Pastels by Mary 
Lovely! ~Rita
Thanks Rita!!
Y ou are in a very creative state right now, & I’m loving it!
Thank you Resa – the bug has hit so I’m going with the flow ~
Love your apple tree!
Thank you Brenda!
I’m happy to see all the trees! In fact, I’ve been writing poetry about trees quite a bit as of late. This is SO lovely, Mary! Then again, what artwork by you isn’t beautiful? 🙂
Thank you Eva for your lovely words about my work!
You’re quite welcome !
Oh yes! Apple trees are so gnarly lovely. You painting is just lovely:)
Thanks so much Elena – I love that aspect about apple trees.
I love everything about this one Mary. So delicate in colors yet so strong in structure. I can smell the apple blossoms! Bravo!
Thank so much Rhonda – love reading your response to the piece! Hope you are well ~
You know I love your art Mary!!
I’m doing fine. Busy with summertime activities. Haven’t been painting as much as I like. Time just gets away from me. On baby watch! Just finished the last of the four paintings for the nursery. Can’t wait!
Very cool, can’t wait to see the paintings and hear the news.
I’ve posted the first two already. The teddy bear and the whale. The third one was something they wanted me to copy. I told them I don’t copy stuff! So I made it my own. But since it wasn’t my original idea I am not posting it. The fourth is just a background of colors of all the other three paintings. Then my son is going to make the baby’s initials out of wood and fasten them to the last canvas. They won’t tell me the baby’s name until after its born so I won’t know what the last canvas ended up looking like until later. I won’t be able to post it.
Still all very exciting and cool – even the family has their imprint in the fourth painting. Really neat Rhonda! I remember the first two paintings – very sweet!
Apple trees look so ancient, yet so pure and innocent when in bloom. Lovely painting, Mary.
Thanks Heidi – I agree with you about Apple trees, they are a magnet for some for another era. Lucky for us they still hold the magic. Appreciate your feedback and thoughts on this one!
Such a lovely painting!…Beautifully done, as always… 🙂
Thank you my friend, you are very kind. Hope you are enjoying your week.
So gorgeous!
Thank you Fiona!
This is the beautiful sight I am looking forward to within the next few weeks.
Very cool Gallivanta – thanks so much for your thoughts. Hope you enjoy the scenery, as I’m sure you will!
What a wonderful painting!
Thanks so much Nicodemas!
Mary, this is so beautiful. I don’t know how you made that apple tree look so real. It’s a magical painting and I love it. 🙂
Thank you Sylvia – I guess you can say that apple trees are in my blood, having grown up around them in my childhood. There really is something magical about these trees and when they are in bloom, whoa it’s a gorgeous scene.
Well, what more can I add or say? BRAVO! xo Love it
Thank you – your one word says it all. I’m so glad you enjoyed the scene.
Wow, Mary, so very impressive. Full of light, life and spring. One of my very favorites of yours. So beautiful. 💛
Thank you very much Laura – love your generous feedback and comment. Your description is what I had hoped for, “light, life and spring,” just awesome!
It was loud and clear in your composition, Mary. I truly love your artwork! 💛
I also want to suggest a series of mysteries if you are really into apple trees. British series by Phil Rickman with Merrily Watkins as the main character. Very creepy but cozy too and extremely well-written.
This is so beautiful Mary!
Thank you Tim, your feedback means a lot.
The colors are so soft and beautiful Mary. I love it. 🙂
Thanks so much Karen – really appreciate the aspects of what you enjoyed in this painting.
Stands so proud and beautiful! Well done, Mary! 🙂
Thank you so much Marina – she does stand proud. I loved working the bark and main trunk on the tree. Hope you are well – thanks my friend. Have a beautiful week ~
Mary, Mary – my old apple tree – beautifully revived. You are sooo good…
Oh Ann-Christine how awesome. So glad that the tree brings you fresh and pleasant memories – your compliment doesn’t get any better. Thank you so much my friend.
“This grand old dame should be given a name! Alice? Esmeralda? Hermione?”
Eve perhaps?
Eve you say, why that is perfect of course – she is so tempting?! Prospero, Alice is actually my Mother’s name, Cynthia is pretty good at calling them. Thank you ~ hello to Miss Princess Ariel.
Superb! Gorgeous colours! j’ ❤
You make my day Dsaquarelles! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and gracious comment ~
A place for the makings of a good pie.
Oh Frank, how did you know? But of course, and I’ll bet this tree has seen many a good apple in it’s day. Thanks my friend.
You have captured the essence of the apple tree……I know because I grew up in Kent…the garden of England….where we were surrounded by apple trees…..Absolutely lovely. Janet:)
Thanks so much Janet for your generous comment. Apple trees are really cool, right? And this one just lent itself perfectly to oil pastels. I’ll bet the countryside of Kent is wonderful, especially Springtime. Thanks again ~
Beautiful. I like how the apple tree gracefully leans to one side, and the blue sky as for the tree branches. 🙂 ❤
Thanks Amy – apple trees are great subjects to paint and photograph. This one really appealed to me because of the shape of the main trunk and branches.
Wow! The trunk, the sky, the overgrownness of the landscape……I love this, Mary. It may be my favourite one ever!
Hi A! thanks very much and glad you enjoyed the scene!! Always appreciate your enthusiasm ~
Your apple tree has lots of character, Mary. Awesome! Old apple trees are brimming with character, I was glad to have a chance to work one out.
Thanks Geralyn, really appreciate it!
Very beautiful.
Thanks Lee!
….beautiful picture Mary, I like it very much.
Kind regards to you by Lis
Thank you so much Lis for your thoughtful comment!
I agree about the character of apple trees, and this one you’ve painted is perfectly beautiful…it has that precious combination of the aged roughness combined with the delicacy of blossoms. I also like the setting, the unmown grass (rich color here from the underpainting?) and suggestion of an old fence. This grand old dame should be given a name! Alice? Esmeralda? Hermione?
Awesome Cynthia – did you know that my Mothers name is Alice? And she is a grand old dame! Thank you so much for your thoughts and feedback. Love your description, roughness and delicacy with apple blossoms, because it’s exactly what it looks like when they are in bloom. The underpainting was awesome, I was almost going to leave it as it was and just do a whole new painting – I might do a post with several of my progress photographs along with the underpainting.
Good idea!
Absolutely beautiful, Mary! The sky looks real.
Thanks Jill – really appreciate it!
Wonderful, Mary.
Thank you my friend ~