Resting

Resting? Resting! I found this leaf on one of my morning walks with our dog, Chloe. So, even though I wasn’t resting at the time, I came to think of this lovely oak leaf as resting while I painted it.

Favorite Things

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I will share that this painting, post and blog are a part of a series I call Favorite Things. This means each week I write about a painting and the process. You are invited to follow along as I share stories about the painting life I lead. To do so, simply sign up here. You’ll receive one email each week and get a first look at my latest painting. Woot!

Why Resting

So, the word resting may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you see an oak leaf, eh? I agree, sort of. I have just finished reading “The Hidden Life of Trees: what they feel, how they communicate” by Peter Wohlleben. In it he describes how trees communicate, sustain themselves, thrive and even hibernate.

In the chapter entitled “Hibernation” he describes the importance of rest and sleep for trees. Turns out trees need a fair amount of sleep. Who knew? And shedding leaves is one of the many ways trees get ready for rest aka bed. Isn’t that fascinating?

Fall

When I start to see leaves on the ground, I know we’re either getting ready for one of two things. We’re getting ready for a hurricane as I described in this post here. Or we are getting ready for one of my favorite seasons of the year: fall. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the Northeast and the fall colors are so beautiful there. Or, maybe it’s that I can still enjoy fall colors here in North Carolina? Or maybe it’s because I spent 5 years living in downtown Philadelphia from 2014 to 2019. During that time, tall concrete buildings and sidewalks and streets were so much more prevalent than trees. I missed being around trees during that time. And, so maybe I have come to appreciate them even more. Who knows? All I can say is that I love living amidst trees and the sights and smells of fall.

Confession

Even though this leaf is green not red or yellow toasty brown, it speaks to me of changes in season. You know, the kind of changes that fall brings. I confess as I painted this sensitive and lovely oak leaf, I had a sense that it was falling.

At first, I imagined naming this painting “Falling” or “Free Fallin” (cue up Tom Petty, right?) But that leaf’s luscious little stem in the lower left corner kept calling out to me. And, guess what else?

I used artificial lighting to paint this little leaf. Why? Dark and rainy days start to interfere with painting progress. And, I recently found a nifty lighting set up. It has the capability of controlling the percentage strength or intensity of lighting and the light’s warmth or coolness. So, I cued up this light and could not resist painting the cast shadow of the leaf. You can see it clearly. The cast shadow extends from that stem and up to the leaves on the left side.

Stem Resting

I came to see that the leaf actually was resting on the stem and voila, the name stuck. If this leaf and stem see the merits of rest. Why can’t we convince people of the importance of it? I’ll leave that to the sleep and neuroscience experts, I guess.

For Sale

I am excited to share that this lovely little 5×5 inch oil painting on panel is for sale for $195. View more details including a link to purchase here.

How do you rest

How about you? What’s your idea of resting? Do you like to rest in the afternoon with a nap? Or is your idea of rest a break from the glowing screen and a brisk walk outdoors? Either way, please do share in the comments below.