I’ve painted trees for several hours, working on the small branches on the left side of the painting then deciding that I didn’t like the angular gesture they brought to the piece, and repainting the darkness between the trees. In this piece I prefer the large birch shapes with the simpler outlines and opportunity for split trunks. I tried putting the trees behind the orb as ghostly silhouettes but wasn’t pleased with it because the physics were all wrong – if the orb is providing all the light it should obviously lay over the top of the things it’s illuminating.
Three quarters of the second layer of the trees is done. I’m pretty pleased with it. I will start thinking about the ground behind the stones next, whether  there is undergrowth to add to the work or if it stays dark around the base of the trees.
Being white, the trees still appear wildly bright, pulling the background far too much to the front of the piece. As soon as I can I’ll glaze them to make them drop back, making them far more discrete.
