Hot Pink, Cold Day

 

4/16/22 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Unlike the traditional ornamental cherries I usually put on my petal-peeping tour, the only Kwanzan cherry trees I know of in my area grow singly or in pairs, so their effect is not quite as dramatic. They make up for quantity, however, with their much showier hue – a true, bright pink rather than the near-white pale pink of ornamental sakura. They also peak several weeks later than their pale cousins, which I appreciate: Just when I think the pink season is over, the Kwanzans join the party.

Kwanzan beauty!

When I sketched these same trees last year, it must have been much warmer because I was able to get a better composition by standing on the sidewalk. On Saturday morning, the temperature was only in the high 30s, so I stayed in my car. I’m happy that the trees and flowers seem to know it’s spring because I’m having difficulty believing it.

Technical note: Learning my lesson the previous day at Swanson’s when I had inadvertently brought the background forward, I used non-soluble pencils for everything in this sketch except the pink and magenta blossoms. I could then spritz the blossoms freely to intensify the color, and the foliage behind them stayed in the background.