Arboretum Without Color

 

5/18/22 Washington Park Arboretum

At this time of year, the Washington Park Arboretum is ablaze with brilliant color from the rhododendrons and azaleas. We chose a balmy afternoon to take our fitness walk through the park, which meant that I didn’t have my full sketch kit and colors with me. Ironically, the last two times I drew at the arboretum were with Kristin Frost’s class last summer, when we used only graphite! No color? The horror!

It was actually nice to enjoy all that color without the pressure of trying to capture it as brilliantly (with usually disappointing results). I was happy to sketch nothing more than a composition study and the tortoise we spotted in a pond.

Despite the lack of color in my sketches, I won’t deprive you of the eye candy.

That yellow tree is a type of oak. I might use this photo as a composition study sometime.