The Perfect Christmas Tree

By this point I began to realize how much I enjoyed sketching. During school I rarely had the chance to be outside in the sun, and most of my sketches happened only on special occasions. This one was made during Thanksgiving at one of my homes in New Mexico. I did not have much energy to explore, so I sat on the porch and painted the neighbor’s tree. I am not sure if they know how beautiful it is. To me it feels stunning every day, the kind of tree that makes you gawk for a minute at a time.

For this sketch I brought out pastels, my favorite medium for working outside. I normally avoid them because they are heavy to carry and require a wide range of colors, which makes them difficult for travel. They also need a textured paper that I did not have at the time. Still, since I was only on the porch, I decided to use them. I worked quickly, faster than I do with other mediums, and it made me want to find a better way to bring pastels with me for plein air. Whenever I see this sketch, all I think is, I love that tree.

Micron pen and pastel on toned sketch paper. About 30 min. sketch.