Saturday 25 September 2010

A Purple Tree!




Actually purple trees don't really grow in Sicily, my scanner has decided to highlight the blue and violet layers that I mixed with olive green for the actual grey/green colour!
This is an old wild olive tree, knarled and twisted with time.  My friend and I went walking in a local nature reserve with beautiful views of the nearby valleys and hills, there were plenty of  these old olive trees each one more interesting than the next.  It was a very steep walk in the hot sun, which made our picnic stop even more welcome,  here's a photo of the view about halfway up.

Lake Rosamarino is a man-made lake, with the town of Caccamo and it's castle in the background.  I sketched  this view while sitting on a rock, but  didn't manage to complete it.
As usual I collected pocketfuls of leaves and other bits and pieces to draw at home, a great way to remember a lovely walk.

24 comments:

Unknown said...

Beautiful sketch and view. The purple makes it look like something from a fairytale :D

martinepittet said...

I love the movement and texture of this old tree trunk and the colour makes it "special". Gorgeous view too !

Anonymous said...

Oh, how I love tree portraits and this one is stunning! Whatever happened with the scanner, it is lovely! You rendering of its gnarled trunk and limbs is beautiful Cathy!

Unknown said...

Very simple and beautiful. It reminds me of a woman in a ballgown... I love your artistry, in hinting at the leaves, and the blending of the colors in the trunk.

Sharon P Pope said...

I love your tree. It is so full of character. :)

Mari Brown and Colourblob said...

Beautiful sketch, and I love the tree (the texture of it looks amazing).

Sandra said...

Another beautiful painting. I'm so glad that it came through. Many times my computer does not bring up your stunning art work. Grrrr. Glad that I could enjoy this one.

Anonymous said...

you really captured the twisting gnarled aged look of that tree so well.

Terry Banderas said...

Like the Purple Tree. Your work is nice.

nanke's stuff said...

What a wonderful drawing of a most interesting tree! The purple just adds to its mystery and beauty. nancy

Janene said...

Absolutely gorgeous sketch of the gnarled tree!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous tree! And I'm glad the scanner did that to you, so that you had to describe how you did the colors. (taking notes! :) What a lovely place for a walk!!

Sarah said...

Well I actually like the purple, though I appreciate it asn't what you intended. It's a beautiful drawing, and the colour adds a little magical twist to it.

Dan Kent said...

I love this gnarled tree! Fanciful! (I like the purple too - your scanner did it right, as far as I am concerned. Don't tell anyone.)

Anonymous said...

Lovely! This tree looks as if it has been there for ever.

Anonymous said...

I took several photos of old gnarled olive trees when we were on holiday in Majorca - I just wish I could turn them into drawings like yours!!

Alex said...

Awesome looking tree! And the artist obviously did an amazing job drawing it ^^

Gillian Mowbray said...

LOL - my scanner does purple very well too!
I love this - the gnarled twisted trunk couple with your soft colours and technique make this truly magical. You need to create a story book!
Sorry to be away so long - I have enjoyed catching up though. Hugs. x

Peachtreeart said...

Your trees are so interesting!

Cathy Holtom said...

Nice to see you back Gillian, I've always liked fairytales!

Raena - delft blue and olive green to be exact!

Thank you for all the lovely comments everyone x

seesue said...

The sinewy shapes with deep shadow areas are lovely.

Unknown said...

It is a lovely rendition and having just spent lots of time studying olive trees they do seem to take on a purple hue in an evening I think :-)

debra morris said...

Great work Cathy, what a lovely tree

The imp said...

Love your tree.Isn't it great that you can see peoples work from all over the world with EDM.