Cherry Blossom Promenade

Cherry Blossom Promenade, 36x36, oil on linen

To be a harbinger of Spring, here is one of the latest to come off my easel. I have been working on this large for me painting since last spring. It was a struggle to get it to 'read' correctly. Originally, I was trying to imitate Tom Thompson and the way he could make the woods of Canada have such wonderful patterns within them. I managed to do that with the cherry blossoms but I could never get that to work with the cast shadows so in essence the painting looked like two separate ideas. I finally had to paint over that which I liked and was attached to doing to get the painting to have a cohesive and connected feel, which ultimately is what I was going for in the first place. Sometimes we artists can be stubborn in holding on to something which is holding us back from achieving where we want to go. What can I say? I finally saw what I needed to and got the ship righted and on course

One of the things I like about this scene is not only the promenade of blooming trees but the figures. It shows a cross section of people and one would think I had placed them there to add to the composition the placement is so perfect. You can't see the last grouping in this image as they blend in with the trees but there is a 6th  grouping in between the trees that are to the upper right of the rabbi's hat.

This scene is at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. It was quite by chance I was in NY in April for the Cherry Blossoms. I had come to see the Sargent watercolor show at the Brooklyn Art Museum and my cousin had gone with me. When we left the museum she wanted to go to the Botanic Gardens which was right next door to the Museum. So glad we did. A lovely oasis in the city and what a welcome to be outside in it.