In the words of Carl Sagan, as you look across our yard, you'll see "billions and billions" of leaves during the Fall season.Mostly, to start off with, it's the Maple, Birch and nut trees that drop their leaves around this time of year.
Out back there are some Sassafras trees and small bushes that toss their leaves around with abandon.The Pine trees way out back start pitching their cones in later summer, as the Oak trees start dropping those acorns, and it gets harder and harder to walk across the lawn without slipping and sliding on the nuts and cones.
Later in the season, seemingly the minute I've raked up the last leaf on the lawn, the Oaks start dropping their leaves.Many hang on until the first snow so that I'm greeted in the Spring with the same activity...rake and toss, rake and toss.
One other use for the annual pile of soon-to-decay flora is to paint pictures with them.
So, here I present this year's Fall Collection.Take a minute to write back and let me know what you think about them.
The ones I get onto paper will last long into the winter...maybe even for a bunch of years.By hitting the word "comments" at the bottom of this post you can let me know your favorites or ask me questions, such as, "Don't you have anything better to do?"
I have about 15 paintings represented here.
They are all watercolors, using just three primary colors...red, yellow and blue.Sometimes they come out on the first try.
Sometimes, they don't work at all and I end up throwing away a whole bunch of "mistakes."
Well, I don't actually get rid of them...they go into a big pile downstairs that my wife looks at saying, "Can't you just throw these away?"My response is that I might see something in the painting later on that I'll like...can't take the chance of getting rid of a masterpiece!
After about 15 years of painting these things, I do have quite the stash of saved mistakes.
Perhaps, someday, when historians reconstruct my studio to educate future artists they'll think they stumbled upon art treasures...might make a few bucks then!Here and there you'll see:
Oak to the left.Maple to the right.
Another Oak below to the left....
And, another Oak here to the right.
My wife came up with the idea for the "Ghost Leaves" below.
They take over our house just before Halloween...a fun leaf to have hanging around. Maybe a little bit scary?
Dark and spooky?
Surprised?
Shocked?
A ghost, aghast?
The most scary thing of all? I just looked out the window and another million leaves just dropped....looks like I've got a lot of painting to do!
