TRY IT TUESDAY - June 16, 2020

TRY IT TUESDAY - “I think that I shall never see” declaimed poet Joyce Kilmer, “A poem lovely as a tree.” Talking about, reading about, writing about something just isn’t as brilliant as actually being there as person. Now that the weather has turned and it appears summer is actually going to happen – what better way to celebrate than taking a moment to be a tree hugger. Okay…maybe not literally. But it is a time when artists like to get out and work “en plein aire” (aka: “outside”) – painting in and from nature. Arts Center Board member Marsha Devine, herself an artist and instructor, has these suggestions for starting simple with plein aire work: Take a moment to really see a tree rather than the forest. Why not give it a try?

Draw a basic tree: 1) Draw two curved vertical lines. 2) Add several "Y"s of different sizes in different directions to indicate branches and twigs. 3) place upside down "V"s for the roots. Add a horizontal line for the ground. 4) Draw an outline to show the outer edges of the leaves. 5) erase some of the branches to indicate where leaves would block the view of the tree branches.