Jump Start

 

3/16/23 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Driving home from an early appointment, I stopped in a part of the neighborhood where I rarely walk. It was still chilly (frost was on the windshields and rooftops yet again), but at least the sunshine was bright. Instead of picking a sun-lit view, I faced the sun so that I could get these fantastic tree shadows coming toward me (at left).

Unfortunately, I got so excited about the sunshine that I didn’t realize I had left my headlights on (it wasn’t the first time I’d done that while sketching, but it had been a decade since the last time, so that’s not too bad). After our roadside assistance service gave me a jump start, I was told to drive around or leave the engine running for at least 15 minutes. Easy enough: I found another pair of beautifully backlit trees (below, sketched with the engine running).

3/16/23 Maple Leaf neighborhood

3/15/23 Green Lake

The previous day, I had spotted a tree at Green Lake that was not a conifer but nonetheless was not deciduous, either: I’ve seen it wearing dark green foliage year-round. (I made a note to self to try to identify it.) I started out using my winter secondary triad as usual, but the sun was dipping in and out of clouds, and I wanted to capture that sudden crown of light (at right). Orange just didn’t seem bright enough, so I stepped outside the triad with yellow. (Holy cow, Tina broke her own color rules! There’s hope for her yet!)

I am well over halfway done in the first week of my 30 Trees in 30 Days challenge. Maybe I should have made the challenge for a hundred trees after all!

3/15/23 Green Lake neighborhood