Favorite Tree (Not for sale)

acrylic on canvas

I have a life-long love of trees. Growing up in western Washington state, I was surrounded by gorgeous evergreens. When I left home and lived in a variety of locales around the nation, I was intrigued with all the deciduous trees. These leafy trees, vs. the conifers of my childhood, looked to me like the trees children draw, not actual, real trees. I think it took until I was about 25-years-old to stop feeling like the only real trees were evergreens. Moving to southern California and being around palm trees threw me for another loop. For the longest time, I really hated palm trees and I called them “those stupid stems with a bit of green at the top.” I eventually got over my palm tree prejudice. Now, one of my favorite trees is the big live oak outside my painting studio window. It’s one of the few trees that, due to it’s shape and the moss that lives on it, looks almost as good during the winter as it does in the spring. It’s a great tree and a quiet friend to me while I paint.