Willow Trees

By Matthew Zappala

Jan. 21-March 31, 2017

I first began painting a lone willow tree growing by the roadside. It was early spring and the leaves had just turned light green. As the seasons changed I revisited the tree.

At times the paintings demonstrated subtle changes. At other times the works reflected distinct seasonal changes. Later I painted a group of willows, changing the composition by altering the distance as well as the time of day.  Sometimes my eye was drawn to a group of branches within an individual tree. 

There was a balance between the tree’s branches and trunk and the pattern the leaves made.  The trees and leaves dominated the picture as the background and foreground played a less important role in the composition. The brushwork lends itself to a post impressionist style; colors are bold allowing some areas to delineate movement and others to fill in sections as texture. 

While Monet consciously painted haystacks in each season, I

painted a few willow trees and only  later on did I start the process of painting them as the seasons changed. 

Meet the artist at the Valentine’s Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Tasting Saturday 2/11/17 from 2:00 until 4:00 pm- 9 Vassar Street Poughkeepsie, NY  12601

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