Forests can be painted in many ways: with the sun shining through the branches; as they appear in autumn, spring, summer or in winter; a real forest or an imaginary one; created in a traditional, impressionistic or abstract style – the list of possibilities is endless, depending on the artist’s style, favourite media and the source of inspiration.
The fascination with the forest has a long tradition in art, from primitive and traditional art, to impressionism and right up to the present day. Every painter whose source of inspiration is nature paints forests and trees either as the main subject or as part of a landscape composition.
Painting trees requires skill and knowledge of proportion, colour combinations and the use of light. Capturing the shapes of the trees, the colourful leaves and their texture needs a profound study of the subject in different stages.
Each medium demands different techniques: acrylic dries up quickly so the layering of different shades of greens, oranges, yellows and reds without overdoing it could be challenging. Working in watercolours requires precision and awareness of the right amount of paint loaded onto the brush, while working in oil requires knowledge on what colours to mix and in what proportion in order to get the right consistency and shade.
Regardless of the approach chosen by the artist, the woodland is something that we all like to look at, as it is one of the most familiar features found in nature and one of the most painted elements in artworks of all times.
