Still the Reddest

11/5/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Last year I discovered a maple that is by far the reddest tree I’ve seen in these parts. I set out for it again this year on almost the same date, and it still wins. Composing the entire tree in my sketch last time, I remember that I didn’t like my result – the colors seemed washed out and flat, even while using watercolor pencils (it didn’t help that it was drizzling that day).

This time, I played it safe by keeping the sketch tiny (about 2 by 3 inches). All I wanted to do was to get as close as possible to matching the hue I was seeing. I could have spent a few more minutes making the background trees darker, but I wondered if the maple would stand out even more if I kept the firs subdued. In any case, I think human attempts will never match nature, but we all keep trying feebly. Below is a photo that comes a bit closer than my sketch does but still hasn’t quite captured the intensity.

As red as red gets!