Olive Trees

This is the finished watercolor of the olive trees twined at their roots. As I paint larger, I see more detail and subtlety and  the paintings become more "physical". I like this visceral portrayal.
  More tree paintings to come.... 
30" x 22"

Old Olive Trees at Knossos

I decided to continue work on some earlier paintings before beginning on my Mexican adventures.
These remarkable old twisted olive trees were once joined at their very complicated base. The deep fissures on the trunk continue in a more superficially stenciled way on the branches.  And then the gnarled roots just dive abruptly into the sandy soil. I had previously painted a small study of these trees, and this is the next step to a large painting.... Step by step....
15" x 11"

Palm Foliage

One of the things that struck me in Mexico is how the strong sunlight on palm foliage makes a patterned netting and colorful shadows - almost flattening the subject. Now I understand Matisse better, the light is very different from Northern California !
11" x 7 1/2"