Japanese Maples

These are Japanese Maple leaves.  I painted the background in acrylic colors with yellow ochre hues.  The actual red Maple leaves, I painted in oil paints.  I used the colors, Cadmium Barium Red, Cadmium light, alizarin crimson, alizarin crimson gold, Naples Yellow, and Black.  There some other colors I have on my palette but didn't bother to list since I didn't enough of them to make a difference.

This is the finished painting, a gallery wrap canvas, so the leaves go around the painting.  It's 4" X 12".

Look close, because this is while I was painting it, I decided to paint from left to right so I had a place to rest my hand while painting.  I put out nine colors and used them all, but some, not so much.   

This was a fun, easy painting to do.  Initially I was going to put it in the Spring art show, but I got to thinking, they're Maple leaves, perhaps I shouldn't, but I learned that Japanese maples are a glowing red in the Spring, and in the summer they are a richer red color and in the fall, foliage is scarlet and orange. The tree grows slow, it's a weeping tree native to Japan and Korea.  The leaves grow 2-4 inches long.  It is called the "Crimson Queen".  Glad I used alizarin crimson while painting it.  

I know I can place it in the show with no concern.  However, I may do a painting of my friend Bonnie's flower.  It's beautiful.  A whole lot more work but simply stunning.  

By the way, I haven't started on the female figure painting yet that I even took pictures for.  I have something in my mind, but I'm not sure how to do it.  Time for research.  

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