White clouds

Crab Apples in Bloom, 11.75 x 8.25" Oil Pastel on paper

A bit of departure from my other work of late... but, kinda back to some things I used to do more often. This landscape is done in oil pastel... and it is based on the crab apple bloom that happens every year about this time. The trees are absolutely covered in blossoms - so much so that they do resemble clouds - and it is often difficult to see where the tree stops and the sky starts. The clouds of crab apples are accompanied with a smell that is indescribable... even sweeter, I think, in the evening. The style I've used is rather impressionistic, and the technique is a building of layers of color to a thick application. It is then sprayed with fixative.
I really enjoy landscapes, especially when I can play with and push the colors a little bit, as I've done here.