There is just something amazing about the color and contrast that birch trees bring to a mountain slope. The leaves have a quality that make them almost appear to sparkle when there is a gentle breeze blowing across of the mountain side. The white of the bark glows and provides a striking contrast to the heavy pine trees in the area.
With this piece I've attempted to capture that feeling of a crisp October afternoon as you walk along a small mountain stream somewhere in the mountains. The sounds of the breeze and water fill your ears as you stand frozen just drinking up that peace and beauty.
I might add a little bird in the pine tree but haven't decided for sure. I have used a paste medium additive to my paints for the first time. This gave me a thicker application that I actually applied with a palette knife to give that impression of heavy bark on the pine tree. That was fun and I think the final results turned out just as I had hoped for.
