Palm Trees and Tropical Art

This month's online class was called, Bountiful Beauty, Palm Tree Designs. We learned how to draw these tall, graceful, hardy, and resistant trees. We marveled at their upright growth, abundant fruitfulness, and flexibility. My first example was an upward-looking view using a curved trunk and feathery fronds. I used watercolor paint and embellished with markers.

My second sample showed the progression from a watercolor landscape to a much more vivid scene. I decided to compromise on the silhouetted trees of my inspiration and instead experimented with different colored Sharpies.

For my demonstration, which I finished after class, I decided to paint a closeup view of a palm tree with its dying fronds hanging down along its trunk. This one also turned out to be mixed media.

The Heart Art Healing sponsor of this Circle of Love event was inspired by this photograph of palm tree bark that I took while vacationing in Palm Springs. She was hosting our event from Hawaii. I am anxious to see her interpretation of the bark. The value range and intricate spiky shapes will make an unusual and abstract design.

I also took some photos of the native trees of Palm Springs. This one is a particularly lovely trio I captured while walking the dogs along a somewhat busy street. I love the composition with its low horizon, cluster of three palms, and the small tree off in the distance.

Palm trees on Martinique (1887),
Paul Gauguin

Not many famous artists used palm trees as subjects in their paintings. I did find one or two by Claude Monet that captured my eye. Due to copyright restrictions, I am unable to show you Monet's Palm Trees at Bordighera (1884), which he painted while visiting the southern coast of Italy with Renoir in December 1883. You may also appreciate the palm trees painted by Paul Gauguin. Gauguin captured the light using bright yellows and oranges, as well as creating a mood with his contrasting purple sky. Impressionists like Monet often used purple to replace black in their paintings. See The Color Purple, Violet, or Lilac in Art.