Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Painting Process: Trees Gotta Sing!

See what happens when I take time out? I do two posts in one day and I actually finished a painting for a show! Hopefully they won't reject this one, but if they do, so be it. I had fun!


The theme of the show is "I Got Rhythm."
I printed out some sheet music and used heavy gel medium to adhere it and add texture to the canvas. This sheet music will end up being the foreground.

Next, I did an ochre wash over the entire piece.


Here I'm trying to establish the sky hoping for that mid-afternoon glow.
There are many layers of colors which you probably can't see.
 
I'm now establishing the composition and the placement of the trees.
You can see the musical notes peeking through the layers of color.


I start filling in the trees a bit more and adding more depth to the foreground.
If you click to enlarge this you'll still be able to see the subtle notes in the field.

Now I've placed some musical notes in the trees. After all, they gotta sing!
(My husband titled the painting and I love it!)


Close-ups of tree notes.


Close-up of foreground notes.

Ta-Daaa!
The finished piece 12x24, "Trees Gotta Sing."
Thanks for indulging me today!
xo♥

28 comments:

  1. I love it! I guess sometimes the trees tire of whispering, so they gotta sing!

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  2. This is lovely Lo. Thanks for showing us the steps.
    xoxo

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  3. Oh how wonderful your post is. I love seeing the progression of the piece. Lovely as always. You are on a roll.

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  4. I like so many things about this. But first tell me is this acrylic or oil paint please?
    I love how the music bars in the foreground look like a fence across the field...and the notes in the trees like paper that got let loose and flew up and got stuck in the leaves of the trees. A breezy musical day.
    thanks for showing your process. Helpful to me to see all the layers.

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  5. You KNOW I adored it! Bravo to your husband - great title! Music makes my heart sing.... and the trees, the birds, the flowers, the wind, the sky.....

    Beautiful painting - and I think you captured the hues of the sky perfectly! Only a fool would reject this painting!

    Love,

    ♥ Robin ♥

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  6. you've inspired me with this painting! I love watching the steps and the title of the painting is spot on! Trees Gotta Sing...you've touched my heart today!

    See what a little retreat will get you?

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  7. Laurel, this is soooo beautiful. I love the subtle colors. The mysterious "They" have Gotta accept this. How could "They" not?

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  8. O my goodness!!!!
    What a beautiful work you have created!!!

    I was a delight to see this one evolve!
    I clicked on each picture and admired everything.
    What a talent you are blessed with!
    And that sky and colors . I really thought : this is a Lolo sky.


    Hope you can stay in this mood....

    ♥♥♥
    >M<

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  9. love seeing your process and the painting is just lovely. i do adore trees.

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  10. Hi,
    Thanks for visiting! I love seeing artist's spaces too. Your painting is lovely-I love the way you have used the musical notes!

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  11. I love to see works in progress like this... I learn so much...This piece is an artistic symphony unto itself...absolutely delightful...Hope you sell it immediately! :)

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  12. What a treat to see the process. I think this is fantastic. Trees Gotta Sing...perfect title. Some years ago I wrote a poem about trees singing. I will see if I can find it and send it to you.

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  13. Great title,,,and I'm lovin' the collage elements to this one.
    Great piece! (at each stage)

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  14. Very cool piece! I like how you illustrated the process here.

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  15. what did i say when i left a comment earlier today...which blogger unceremoniously gobbled up?

    first, probably: i love seeing your process

    second,probably: the imbedded notes are so cool

    third, definitely: this is so serene and vastly calm. somebodies will be very uninformed if they even think about passing over this piece from the artist ms. gaylord.

    and last, definitely: when is a chatterbox not a chatterbox? :)

    love
    ms. kj

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  16. I totally agree with you the trees Gotta sing.
    The process is so wonderful and thank you for creating trees that sing!
    Happy week:)

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  17. Hi Laurel! What a wonderful, joyful post this is. Your singing trees do just that and I really enjoyed seeing your painting/collage process. What a clever girl you are!

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  18. I think I saw a rabbit being chased over the hill by a bumble bee ... he was the same vanilla-ice-cream-color as your sky, so one can't be certain.

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  19. LOLO! this is just FABULOUS!! I love every piece of it and so neat to see the steps! WOW again.

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  20. Wonderful!Great painting and concept!I hear music in the air:)

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  21. Thay sing indeed! Glorious! Thanks for showing your process!

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  22. Bravo!! You always inspire me and this is just fabulous!

    I'm happy you are sharing your talents and love :)

    Have a splendid weekend!

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  23. Great idea and execution! The pieces of sheet music and the playful shapes of the trees are a wonderful combination.

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  24. This looks so good, Lolo. At first I thought the music bars were going to be a fence. I still kinda like that idea, but your finished painting is definately better. I like this one a lot.

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  25. i love the song, i love the piece you've done. wow!

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  26. I love this ..... especially seeing the process :)

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  27. really enjoyed following this process... i heard the song!
    :)

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  28. I've always thought muscial scores look ... I don't know the word ... kind of magical. Like a secret language. Not the individual notes but the way cascades and crescendos of sound can be transcribed onto a page. Somehow you captured this theme and added nature to it. Beautiful. xx Jos

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