Minding My Observation Skills; A Lesson that was Long Overdue

I have just finished "Enchanted Birch" - Colored Pencil on an Ambersand Basswood 16" x 20" Canvas. 

It's been a journey, to say the least (11 months), since I first spotted this Birch Tree in the parking lot of my local Publix Grocery Store.  Funny thing was, I had been looking for a birch tree to photograph and possibly turn into a painting for nearly a year.  I kept asking family, peers and friends, but nobody really knew where to direct me.  Then one day, there it was.  Or what I should say is ...there is where it had been all along, along with several other birch trees, that had been there in the parking lot since the store first opened, and I started shopping there 20 years ago!  Yes, I had been parking in that lot for 20 years and hadn't noticed that the trees on the various concrete islands were indeed birch.  

As an artist, that's not exactly a ringing endorsement for my observation skills.  I can't even blame the fact that I had been a busy mom, too preoccupied to notice trees while shopping for food for my family.  My children have been grown and out of the house and buying there own groceries for over 5 years now.  So my "preoccupied mom" excuse is not only lame, it's expired

 But, when I finally did notice those birch trees in my local grocery story parking lot, I focused on this one in particular.  And I made up for lost "observation" time by working on this drawing relentlessly for 10 months.  However, nearly three months in, I abandoned my reference photos and sketches, and let the image emerge from my minds eye.  

And as I continued to develop the drawing over the past 10 months, I also made it a point to park next to this tree every chance I got when I was shopping.  I would walk around it, sketch it, and imagine different ways that I could render it in my final drawing i.e. I let my imagination "have at it".

Thankfully, I can honestly say, that in the past year, I have made a lot of progress on improving my observation skills.  And I am more artistically mindful, even when I'm away from my studio.  I'm also sketching and photographing more of my observations, than I ever have in the past.  

It didn't take a birch tree to come crashing onto my head to wake up my artistic vision, but something enchanted definitely did happen that day when I became aware of how non-observant I had become.

Tomorrow my "Enchanted Birch" heads off to the JCAC Spring Colors Exhibit http://johnscreekarts.org,