What are some of your favorite paintings of trees? Is there a type of tree that you love to paint over and over again? Aspen trees are one of my favorites because they twist and bend and look like they’re dancing. Most of all though I love to paint tree leaves and branches, especially rich warm fall colors.
Trees are phenomenal air cleaners, oxygenators, sources of fuel and building materials, and, if we place them strategically around our homes, they can keep us warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. And, even as we grow older, we can’t help but want to climb as high up as our courage will take us.
As useful and fun as these leafy creations are, trees top my list of treasures for the same reason the scriptures cite – they bring ‘beauty and variety to the face of the earth’!
This love affair with trees helped me win the Congressional Art Award when I was 17 with a pastel titled Reflections.
Reflections 17×12 inches – pastel painting by Bill Inman that he finished during his junior year of high school
And 34 years later it has only gathered steam. I am more enthralled with the vast array of sizes and shapes and textures and colors than I ever imagined in high school. Boredom… does that word really exist when we have so many trees to observe and paint?
Not only do we have 4 seasons of incredibly diverse color shifts in the leaves of trees, but we can also watch throughout each day as the shifting light transforms the shadows and shapes of trees into dynamic designs. Hues shift from lemon yellows and watermelon greens in the morning light to pleasant purples and flames of red as the sun silently slips behind the hills.
Who Left the Water Running 16×20 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Sunset Park by 18×24 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
When light filters gently through branches as I wander through childhood memories, my heart turns to Montana and the forest that surrounded the log cabin we lived in. There was a stillness in the surrounding woods that seemed to beckon visitors to slow and quiet their pace, even if only for a moment. That is what I felt as I painted Sun Showers and Sunday Morning.
Sun Showers 20×24 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Sunday Morning Stroll 12×16 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Other paintings recall fond family trips like traveling with my daughter Danni to Nashville, Indiana where we discovered a colorful cascade of orange, red, and yellow fall foliage.
Early One Morning 24×30 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Lazy Hazy Day 16×12 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Seasoned Sentinel 16×12 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Chasing Shadows 20×24 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Colorado continues to inspire new tree paintings because beauty is simply a glance away – we never need to search, we need only to look.
Sentinels 24×36 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman. Many of these paintings sold through the wonderful Broadmoor Galleries
Sentinels 24×36 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Aspen Ridge 24×30 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Birdsong 18×24 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
Then there are those moments when my imagination conjures its own hidden hideaway.
Breakfast Is Ready 24×36 inches – oil painting by Bill Inman
I hope these paintings of trees inspired you to paint your own tree masterpiece.
Here’s a blog post you’ll love that shows how to paint several different types of trees – How to Paint an Estes Park River and Trees in 9 Steps. That blog post was inspired by the full-length art instruction painting video in our Membership library. The video includes every brushstroke of the painting process and color mixing.
Would you like access to a library of more than 30 videos, weekly live hangouts, live art training sessions twice a month, a live (Zoom Room) Art Book Club discussion, and an incredible community of joyful painters like yourself? Feel free to check out the Membership by clicking below.
What deciduous dreams do you dare to paint for the world to see? Share with the community your favorite memories where trees seem to take center stage.
Love , love , love , painting and Your paintings of trees . Because they bring beauty and variety to the face of the earth .
What a gorgeous array of paintings! I have always been a tree hugger – each one is a work of art, different from any other, like snowflakes. I wish I could kidnap the “Breakfast is Ready” painting! Or better yet paint something like that! Someday I’ll be able to afford to join your monthly membership.
I too have a love affair with the trees, and you paint the seasons so wonderfully
Where I lived trees were scarce. My friend and I used to cycle miles to a small wooded area. I have always been drawn to them and loved them. Respect is a added now since I read “The Secret Life of Trees”. Your beautiful paintings Bill are thrilling and inspiring.
Bill, I wonder if you offer a video or lesson onthe Picture shown titled. SUN SHOWERS? I really appreciate the atmosphere and light . It is beautiful. If you offer that lesson I would appreciate knowing the cost and can it be downloaded on my laptop. Thank you Bill. I am a relatively new painter and new to you beautiful page. I get inspired by you work. Thanks again.
Bill, I love all of your beautiful tree paintings. ! Marlene. msfscs94@hotmail.com
Bill, this is one of my favorite paintings. It reminds me of a friend’s home in PA where I often went with my children to visit. It evokes wonderful memories of times gone by, fishing, swimming and beautiful friendships!
Bill your tree landscapes are beautiful conveying a sense of place. As an artist that loves to paint landscapes with trees I say ‘bravo”!
Beautiful paintings! In our part of the world too, there are beautiful and majestic trees. This article has inspired me too to paint trees. Thanks for this. Great post!
You have perfectly captured the beauty of trees in the Fall season. Your paintings mirror those we observed yesterday during an outing at Brown County State Park in Indiana. The beauty of nature was simply everywhere – just as you’ve painted on your canvases. With our late season trip, the colors we observed were more like “Sun Showers” than “Lazy Hazy Day’, but nonetheless gorgeous.