Sometimes they’re just gnarly, twisted trees. Welcome to my progression page for a Twisted Tree in Ozark pigment oils. My Twisted Tree paintings fall into a category all by themselves. These paintings have no direction, and I just go wherever the painting wants to go. They’re really good for helping to re-awaken the imagination, or give a restrained hand a chance to run wild. I like to do these when I’ve done a lot of work that tries to stick to a desired outcome. Since these have no desired outcome whatsoever, it’s a complete break from the expectations I’ve put on myself. And I love them so much for that.
Progress
Learning Things
I learned something pretty important during the 2nd and 3rd progress shot. There was a technique I wanted to try using a soft-bristled brush that resembles the kind of brush used for applying makeup or blending blush. Since I didn’t have a bonafide ‘paint’ brush, I decided to use my kabuki makeup brush. They look pretty much the same, anyway.
The makeup brush worked great! It did exactly what I wanted it to do. Except that when I was finished, I noticed little hairs all over in the paint. The brush was shedding hairs. And now I had to pluck them all off of the board and repair the work I had done. Of course, I didn’t have another brush like that one, so I used another makeup brush but checked to see if those hairs were shedding before I tried it. It’s a much smaller brush, so not quite right for the job, but still got it done.
Now I need to buy one of these that are actual brushes for artists. And I’ve tried low-cost artist brushes and found they also will shed. So I’ll just save my money until I can afford a good one. In the meantime, a sponge or crumpled towel will also do the trick.
Where is it Going?
I don’t know. That’s the joy of doing Twisted Trees. They go where they want to go. Sometimes there’s anthropomorphic qualities to them when I’m done. Sometimes they’re just gnarly, twisted trees. We’ll just have to wait and see 🙂
In the fourth image above, the foreground evolved while I was working on it. When it looked like something I could work with, that’s when the idea came to make the drop-off. I had no idea that was going to be there, and so it was even a surprise to me. I love working on paintings that bring themselves about, and the ending is always a surprise in these.
On the Easel
While it’s finished now, it’s still on the easel until it’s completely dry. There’s a discount. It’s a pre-buy, with a money-back assurance if you don’t like it when I’m done.
Contact Mad Rox: (479) 409-3429 or madison@madisonwoods and let me know which hat I need to put on 🙂 Madison for art, Roxann for real estate, lol. Or call me Mad Rox and have them both covered!
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Author/Artist Info
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Roxann Riedel is a salesperson for Montgomery Whiteley Realty, artist, owner of the only ginseng nursery in Arkansas, and the author of books and this website. Madison Woods is the pen-name she uses for her creative works. She’s a self-taught artist who moved to the Ozarks from south Louisiana in 2005. Her paintings of the Ozark-inspired scenes feature lightfast pigments from Madison county, Arkansas. Her inspiration is nature – the beauty, and the inherent cycle of life and death, destruction and regeneration. Wild Ozark is also the only licensed ginseng nursery in Arkansas. Here’s the link for more information on the nursery
There’s always a discount for paintings on the easel 😉
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