Strange twisted tree by the river

"Strange twisted tree by the river" by Hilary J. England
8" x 10" oil on canvas, 2014

I have been at work, working on some new paintings for the Dacia show in February, 2015, but I still always have time to paint something very beautiful in nature.  This strange, twisted tree, by the river in Weissport, fascinated me almost immediately, and I could not resist but to do a fast study of it, even while the wind was forcefully encouraging me to go home, haha.

So, after one belly flop into the dirt after my easel went down for the count, and a complete scraping to the canvas, I still managed to capture the unique tree in all its splendor!  Creation and the beauty of it never ceases to amaze me, and wonder at it like a child....

Autumn travels

"Study of a birch tree in Autumn" by Hilary J. England,  2014
8" x 10" oil on canvas

It's been a while.  I have had a great many things that went on since my return from Romania, and to be honest, I truly needed a breather.  I went to California, and tried to just decompress from everything, visiting with my sister, and that was very helpful, so when I cam back here, it was baby steps back to getting everything back to an even balance, and feeling like the dust had finally settled.

Now, with the holidays approaching, I kind of feel a little numb and a little apprehensive.  I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but neither do any of us, so I try to live in the day, and try not overthink things.  Ultimately, God is in control of all things, and I used to be able to easily see that by going out into nature to witness the beauty of God's creation,  and that usually keeps things in perspective for me at a core level, but for the last couple of months, I kept avoiding and putting off going out, like a feverish man avoiding a drink of water.....it just made no kind of sense!   So, when I went out for the afternoon the other day,  I just had such an urge to paint the beauty, that even my lethargy and "painter's block" couldn't stop it, and so, I painted this little study.  It made me so happy while I was painting, it was such a relief in my innermost being, I just felt like I was bursting with joy in the moment, and for that, I am grateful that these things can still make me feel such contentedness.

So, here is the little painting I did: "Study of a birch tree in Autumn."   Enjoy!