In this painting I wanted the focus to be on texture. Usually I paint with a lot of color, but I opted to use a limited palette on this piece to really concentrate on the peeling bark of the aspen trees. Bordering on the edge of abstraction and the cusp of realism, Natural Textures is loaded with layers and layers of paint, built up with thin glazes and then palette knife to create extreme dimension. Choosing to come in extremely close on the subject, I played around with various strokes and paint thicknesses to add depth and energy. At the end, I had to throw in a few of my signature strokes of color – a splash of gold, some touches of lavender, and just a dab of fire-engine red for added excitement and unexpected color twists. 

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