THE COTTONWOODS SCREAM YELLOW:    Painting at the Rio Grande Nature Center Bosque  in New Mexico I found the most stunning Cottonwood trees.    The yellows and gold leaves were screaming with color.  They were!  I could hear them!  They were screaming yellow.  The color and majesty of these trees were to be the theme of my painting. 

Besides the bright yellow color, I also love very much the organic twining tree trunks and limbs.  I am remembering a phrase from a book that I picked up called "The Painterly Approach" by Bob Rohm.  I don't normally spend much time reading "technique" books I prefer to look at master paintings and visit galleries of contemporary artist I admire. But this book was interesting and helpful.  Mr. Rohm talks about using a limited palette, which I always prefer. He talks about using warm and cool color as well as value, which I am challenging myself to do more of.  He also talks about "approach".  Beginning the Cottonwood painting one might be inclined to spend hours trying to capture all the intricate and complicated twisting and turning of the tree limbs and minute details of branches and leaves.  From the very beginning I did concentrate a little to much on the "linear" aspects.  Paying too much attention to detail.  Only when I began to loosen my approach and feel the forms more in a painterly manner did I achieve my goal.  Which was to talk about the "shock of color" that was in front of my eyes.  I am glad that I went out that day because today is a winter wonderland.  I will write about that experience next.