Palm trees and a noisy bird are the subjects of our colorful vacation mirage.
Starting with the Green Jay! Three slightly varied versions sketched in class this week with Ian de Hoog.
AllAboutBirds.org describes the Green Jay is a brilliant green, yellow, and blue jay of the tropics whose range barely stretches to southern Texas, the Green Jay is a noisy, colorful delight. The birds travel in conspicuous family flocks through brushlands and forests, seeking insects, small vertebrates, and fruit to eat.
A few years ago I saw the Green Jay while on a birding trip to south Texas. It was a lucky viewing at a feeder on the Rio Grand.
Our vacation mirage home will be this bungalow in Florida. A scene painted this week in a online class with Shari Blaukopf. These accomodations look comfy and the warm colors and setting make for an ideal winter respite.
- Hansa Yellow
- Quinacrodone Gold
- Quinacrodone Coral
- Prussion Blue
- Cobalt
- Lavender
- The greens are a blend of the above
To better know the palm I took some time to research what makes a palm . Palms have a single growing point where all new leaves develop – the crownshaft. This differentiates the palm from coniferous trees that produce laterally and develop bark. The leaf blade another differentiating feature are typically pinnacle or palmate as sketched below.
Next time you’re relaxing under a palm you can impress anyone around with your knowledge of Palm Morphology…and if you are lounging somewhere on the Yucatan Peninsula a Green Jay will surely be close by.
Here is a great post with a look at the palm in famous paintings. I think my favorite of the group is the Berthe Morisot.
Own Your Encore 