Oil - 12 x 16"
This was painted just this past summer, in Hyde Park, a National Park, and once the estate of the Vanderbilt family. On the grounds are some of the most exceptional trees to be found in the United States. Prior to the Vanderbilts taking over the area, another wealthy landowner landscaped the area, therefore the trees are several hundred years old and are among the largest of their species in the United States. To read more about the history of the grounds and there trees, and to see a picture of the purple beech tree in the painting itself, click here.
The purple beech gets it's name by the fact that the leaves can take on a deep hue of red-purple. I was drawn to this scene, the composition, by the majesty of the tree itself. In the background, a family of Indian origin picnic on the ground, a standing female figure can be seen with a colorful long flowing pink gown that the women of India are known for. The figures were quickly jotted down in the field (with no further manipulation later in the studio.)
