The Apple Tree

This unfinished oil painting, of what most definitely is the apple tree in the back yard of our house, could possibly be one of the last oils mom painted. It follows or proceeds the Apples, since she is still playing around with a more heavy impressionistic technique in applying the oils. The painting also feels abandoned as if mom's interest in watercolor was creeping into her art or she became fed up with oil.

That apple tree was huge. Much bigger than an apple tree should be. It was fun to climb but a pain in that my brother and I had to pick up the apples, which unfortunately tasted awful. It dominated the back yard and was a happy place for many a squirrel. We would count the nests in the upper parts of the tree as it always seemed to be a condominium for the local squirrel population.

The Apple Tree

detail

detail 

The Covered Bridge - circa 1973

Mom loved her idealized New England settings. Barns, old 18th century houses, fishing boats and harbors and of course covered bridges. This early oil painting of a Covered Bridge was more then likely from a photograph. It was another painting that hung on the walls of our house. Making its way from the living room to the dining room to the back room. The painting,  unfortunately, is undated and not signed but it looks naive enough to be done during the same period of the New England Fishing Boat of the previous post. Perhaps it even predates The Boat and the posts prior. The perspective and the technique feel less sure then The Little Red Barn and even The Old Mill. 

The Covered Bridge 

The Covered Bridge detail: The painting seems kind of undone but obviously it wasn't since Mom hung it up in the house. I feel it has an Americana folksy quality to it.  

The Covered Bridge detail :  These trees leaves are the most interesting part of the painting. I feel like she loosened up here and had fun with the color. 

The Covered Bridge detail: Closer on the tree and this nice white accent. Again feels undone since she either forgot or never got to adding a reflection for the white dead tree. 

Red Barn ( possibly unfinished )

Mom painted a lot of barns. She took a lot of photos of old barns. She really liked old barns. This painting is probably the first barn she painted. It rests squarely in the early to mid 70's period and has a certain simplicity to it unlike her more accomplished water color barns. Perhaps it is too symmetrical  in it's composition but it does have a kind of children's book quality to it.  This too was a painting I remember from my childhood. The painting is unsigned maybe because she wasn't entirely happy with it or it wasn't finished, not sure, but it should be noted mom did sign most of her work it seems unless it was unfinished.

the Red Barn oil 1970's

detail of the grass shows Mom getting more brave with her technique.

detail: here as well - her handling of the foliage is much more effortless then the barn or the fence.

detail of tress : don't seem to fit with the rest of the foliage in painting but have a certain charm all to themselves.