Morning Palm

Morning Palm

10 x 7 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

Miki Willa

Palm trees are always moving in the breeze. It is difficult to capture that movement unless you concentrate on the light. Tom took the reference photo early in the morning on a clear day. I loved the way the oranges and yellows of the lower foliage contrasted with the greens. The magentas in the shadows pulled out the deep reds in the trunk. I really like this type of palm because the trunk is such fun to paint. I have done a series of paintings on the Hickam Chanel, where this palm is found, some plein air, and some from reference photos. I will probably do more because there are trees I haven't painted yet.