Last Fall when we were living in the woods in Sedro Woolley surrounded by "big leaf maple trees", I retrieved one of their fallen leaves. Tracing its edges onto watercolor paper, I was able to reproduce its exact shape and size. These maple trees live up to their name producing huge leaves that measure up to as much as 8 inches by 9.5 inches!
During the past few days I decided to finally paint the leaf. I portrayed it as if it was sitting at the edge of a stream with one of its mates. True to its life size, I also mimicked the soft yellow color the leaves acquire as the season changes, and added a bit of orange as an accent. The painting was a fun challenge, and here you see the results. I'll probably make some cards from the image as I like to do.
As an aside, these maple trees are sought after for the prized maple syrup that can be made from their sap. For me with this painting, I'll always remember the pleasure of living among the maples and the wonder of their leaves floating down in spirals across the yard during the cooler days of Fall in the Pacific Northwest.
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