Various life sketches created in the Santa Cruz mountains in Los Gatos, CA from August 2020 to *current*
The quality of light under the redwood canopy is dramatic because it is dark. Light shifts in a constant, subtle gradient.
In the redwood ravine, the passage of the sun and moon across the sky become more obvious under the waves of light and shadow. The dark, hulking trees do seem frozen in time on a still day, but a storm can strip the branches and change the shape of the morning sunbeams overnight. So there are sudden moments but change, but a muted sense of time otherwise. Dramatic contrasts with a huge variety of middle grade values.
Shade is the rule while direct sunlight is the exception. There are very warm reds and brilliant yellows contrasting with rich blue shadows, with everything being filtered through green. I have tried to pursue the hypnotic quality of this place in my paintings. It really has a feeling of eternal twilight to it. At the same time, I am pushing myself to explore a higher level of fidelity regarding the abundant natural textures in the forest like bark, lichen, and leaves. I also want to explore how to convey the large scale of the trees in such small paintings.