My Magic Tree - 30 in 30 Day 6

A large oak tree stands in my backyard. From time to time, it sheds branches. Whether or not this is normal, I don't know but it has many scars from limbs it has lost over the years. I didn't realize how large the tree actually is until I climbed into it to help my husband trim a broken branch. There's almost enough room to spread out a picnic where the limbs branch out from the trunk. Even more remarkable than it's size, is it's color. The trunk is every color from green to lavender to light blue. The reflected light on it glows iridescent. At every part of the day, the colors and shadows on it are different. I've been looking at it for six years, thinking I have to try to paint it.

This one hour sketch, painted on another frigid Florida day, represents my first attempt. I'll paint it many more times until I'm happy that I've captured it's magic.