Drawing Trees at the Arboretum

There was a free little workshop run by a local pastel artist this evening at the Arboretum: Capturing the Character of Trees. Maybe a dozen participants, ranging from a woman who had never drawn anything, ever, to folks who seemed more experienced. We used a limited palette of oil pastels, an easy tool, but one that is tricky for mixing colors. Two hours of fun under the eucalyptus. One person saw a mountain lion saunter by, and we all saw a hawk land up high in the canopy. At the end of the two hours we put our work around the base of the tree as the light was fading, and were happy to see the collection of very impressionist sketches.