Snowy Sunrise atop a Sequoia

The winter sun rises over the snowy, tree covered hills of the Sierra Nevada range, filling the sky with a warm yellow glow. The air is cold and crisp as we enjoy a bird's eye view from the lofty heights of an ancient Sequoia tree. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Snowy Sequoia Solitude

Continuing the theme of isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, here we have a different take on the concept. A lone, ancient sequoia stands in a snowy forest in the Sierra Nevada mountains, far away from civilization. While there are other trees around, none of them have experienced all that this mighty tree has in its thousand or more years of life, so it is still alone, in a way.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Sunlit Sequoia Duo

High in the Sierra Nevadas, the sunlight gleams through ancient sequoias that stretch skywards, seemingly forever. This was a challenging painting for several reasons. The unusual perspective with the trees sweeping up overhead, the typical difficulties in painting a forest interior scene without it feeling confining and cluttered, and finally the tricky nature of depicting sequoias themselves. Their bark has an unusual mix of red in it without being overtly red, and their crowns, furrows, and burn scars are very distinctive to the species. While this was not an easy painting, I think the end result was worth the effort.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17" (framed)

Christmas Sequoias

High in the Sierra Nevada mountains, snow falls across a landscape of ancient giant sequoias, bringing needed water to this fragile ecosystem. In the valleys below, humanity prepares to celebrate Christmas and other holidays near the winter solstice; here, in the mountains, the years tick by far slower amid towering trees that stand strong for millennia.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17" (SOLD)

Sequoia Trio

In early June, I went on a fun, guided tour through gAdventures and the National Geographic (their "Natural Highlights of California" tour), and one of the amazing places our little group visited was Sequoia National Park. These huge, ancient trees are magnificent and awe-inspiring - it has been said that no one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree (or giant sequoia) because the feeling they produce is not transferable, and that is accurate. You have to see their staggering size and understand their age by visiting them in person. Still, I have tried to capture their incredible size in a painting, doing the best I can. I took special care to accurately render this well-known trio, from the fire scars to the subtle change in bark texture and color higher up on the trees. Nonetheless, it is only a painting - I recommend one see the trees in person to truly experience them.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17" (framed, SOLD)