Friday, April 1, 2022

Thundercloud

 

3/27/22 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Each spring, ornamental plums seem to end up in the shadow of their more showy cousins, the ornamental cherries. Personally, I’m not too fond of their near-black foliage, but when the tiny blossoms start opening, I love the strong contrast between the blooming branches and other parts of the tree still in bud. I’ve been watching this plum on our neighborhood walks because I wanted to catch it before it peaks.

Last summer I sketched the same tree long after the blossoms were gone. Despite what I said about that dark purple foliage, the hue is an interesting challenge, as is trying to show its form in all that darkness.

Ever since I learned that this plum variety is called “Thundercloud,” it seems more exciting to me. OK, I take back what I said about not being fond of it; I have plenty of reasons to appreciate Prunus cerasifera.

4 comments:

  1. I like it both ways! Nice to see this on your walks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this! The color palette is very nice, you're right about that contrast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm always honing my spring palette! ;-)

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...