Tree and Moss - with Process Shots!

Tree and Moss, 10 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2023

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This another demo from my last workshop. We were painting at a location that was OVERwhelming in it's bounty of big giant trees and lots of Spanish Moss! What to choose? This was lesson in simplicity. Often a small segment of a huge scene can say all that needs to be said. 

Choose the Scene and Composition.

Sketch Shapes.

Lock in Values.

Simple Masses.

 Break up Masses with subtle value shifts, maintaining overall light and dark pattern. Save highlights until the very end! 

Swirling Vines - with process shots

Swirling Vines, 12 x 16, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

Collection of the artist

The Georgia coastline and St. Simons Island are known for their huge Live Oak trees draped in Spanish Moss. I love them so much (and have since my first encounter), AND I find them very challenging to paint. There is just so much going on... this one was especially complicated, with tangled vines wrapped all around its multiple trunks. 

Below is a photo of the scene and some process shots. You can see that I simplified the background quite a bit, a necessary sacrifice in order for the tree to emerge. One thing I have learned along the way is that you can't have it all! ;) (That is true for a lot of things, isn't it?)

Setting the scene... the tangled tree in a grove of Live Oaks.

In my initial sketch, I tried to establish the movement of the vines.

As the painting progressed, details came and went... and came back again!

When the light peeked through, I popped in highlights and final marks.

That moss? I dragged it in at the very end.

Plantation Barn - Georgia Coast

Plantation Barn, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2013

Just down the road from St. Simons Island is the historic site of the Hofwyl-Broadfield Rice Plantation. This plantation was owned and occupied by the same family from 1804 to 1973 and is now a state park. Many of the buildings are open for viewing, a docent explains all about rice farming, and the house still has all the original furniture in it. This beautiful old barn was nestled between the oak trees and dripping spanish moss. I loved its shape and large overhanging eaves (and its afternoon shadows.)

Stable View

Stable View, 12 x 9, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012

Available at the Anderson Gallery

On the North end of St. Simons Island, this tucked away stable is surrounded by lots of shade, draping spanish moss and lots of great barn ambiance. I spent a delightful morning here, painting and taking in all the sounds and activities of another world. 


To see all pieces in my current show, please visit my website. 

Windy and Blue

Windy and Blue, L. Daniel, 12 x 12

This is another piece from my painting day in Brunswick, Georgia with the Plein Air Affair (painting event last weekend). This lovely old Victorian home caught my eye, particularly appealing with the heavy Spanish Moss draped like a veil in front of it. The day was very windy, and I found protection behind a big church across the street.


Happy Easter weekend, all!