Baby Oak Tree

Today we had a busy little Saturday, which included some among other things, chores around the house, a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles, some yardwork and some painting.

I was short on time, so I decided to do a simple enlargement painting of this little acorn in my watercolor journal. This was painted from direct observation in my studio.

Watch Timelapse Video of painting process here.

Random thought from during the visit to the DMV...

Contemplating landscape painting composition formats.

Earlier this morning before anyone else was awake I took some time to review the composition ideas from Edgar Payne's "Composition of Outdoor Painting."

I made some super-mini thumbnail sketches of some of my favorite format ideas from the book (sketches are shown in the photo above).

Life moves fast and it never stops. One has to be strategic in order to make the most of the time we have. Painting and improving as a painter can be done even if painting time isn't the highest priority.

Every idea, every sketch, every supportive thought shared with family and even the most mundane and repetitive tasks can be the beginning of something special.

Little acorns and the miraculously massive oak trees are evidence of this and they are all around us.