Abstract Landscape Painting

Incandescence – 18 x 24 inches – acrylic on wood panel – reserved for Mayberry

Now on to one of the softly glowing trees. Set against a background of burgandy and pumpkin, the yellows and purples in the trunk really do seem lit from within…

I had originally planned this to be a 12 x 16 inch painting, but once I started the sketch I realized that it needed to be bigger. And maybe 18 x 24 isn’t big enough either!

Incandescence trees forest dark purple autumn day by Mandy Budan.

Incandescence – 18 x 24 inches – acrylic on wood panel – reserved for Mayberry

We were walking though the woods a few weeks ago, looking for hidden tupperware containers of tiny bounty (geocaching – lol) when I came upon these trees – aspens I’m pretty sure.

And they were just glowing! On fire but with a delicate pale light. Bereft of leaves, stark against the dark slates and rusts of the background forest, these trees stood softly lit from within. The afternoon was gray and sunless and yet here they were, glowing. Wow. A mute reminder of why I paint…

trees forest aspen autumn landscape by Mandy Budan

Cleome – 9 x 12 inches – acrylic on wood – commission

This was great fun to paint. I loved bisecting the painting surface with bright thin pinks and purples and then echoing that in the background greens. And the delightful flowers bursting forth from the center of the plant provide a soft counterpoint to the more angular shapes in the rest of the painting.

Cleome flower abstract painting by Mandy Budan

Cleome – 9 x 12 inches – acrylic on wood – commission

I’d never seen these flowers before being commissioned to paint one. (My favourite part about commissions is the opportunity to paint something I wouldn’t have thought of on my own.) This plant is also called a’ spider flower’ or ‘grandfather’s whiskers’. Delicate petals in pinks and purples are offered up on long thin spikes. This is a very airy and delicate-looking plant and I think I need some in my garden next year!

cleome spider flower abstract painting green and purple

Reflections – 24 x 24 – Acrylic on Wood – Reserved for Mayberry Fine Art

Reflections is now finished. The quiet purples and greens and grays complement the more vibrant foliage in the tree overlooking the water. The reflections are more intellectual than physical, but there are enough of both kinds I think.

abstract landscape contemporary painting reflections by Mandy Budan

Sunrise is currently in the Mayberry 16 Squared Exhibition and Show at Winnipeg Square. The show runs from now until December 24th. Sunrise has sold but will be available for viewing for the rest of the show.

16 Squared – view the exhibition online

Sunrise acrylic landscape painting exhibtion

Reflections – 24 x 24 – Acrylic on Wood – Reserved for Mayberry Fine Art

Ooh I’m nearly done! I have completed all the darker reflections and just have to finish up the lighter bits of the lake. The shapes in the water seem to be jostling each other, overlapping and intertwining, never keeping still. I want to explore some more bodies of water I think!

abstract landscape painting tree river fall contemporary

Reflections – 24 x 24 – Acrylic on Wood – Reserved for Mayberry Fine Art

Now to the lake… The reflections are going to include a few spots of brightness from the last leaves still on the branches over the water. The lake is mostly quiet and pulls in the greys from the sky and background trees. There are a lot more neutral colours in this painting than I usually employ but they are a nice foil for those more saturated areas. And I do love these oranges and ochres.

Contemporary fine art abstract painting reflections.

Reflections – 24 x 24 – Acrylic on Wood

Moving now into the background trees… Lots of grays and lower contrast set the stage for the lake to come. The somber forest is a nice counterpoint to the more active vegetation in the foreground. I have a little more to go on the forest and then I can turn my attention to the water.

fine art abstract landscape painting by Mandy Budan

Reflections – 24 x 24 – Acrylic on Wood

Now to the greys in the sky. It’s fall so even the blues are grey and the clouds shift from bluish grey to greenish grey with little bands of white to mark where they thin enough to let a wan and tentative light through. There are still a few leaves clinging to these far-flung branches but most have fallen into the water and been carried away.

Today there’s rain, but tomorrow the mist may rise on the lake and wreath the tree, weaving in and out of the branches and painting the leaves with water to bring out their deep colours.

I want to sit on the shore and watch the last leaves fall.

abstract landscape fine art painting fall tree lake Mandy Budan