I have been learning about painting these palm trees trying to capture the amazing beauty and have started to laugh at myself. My first impressions were so powerful and beautiful but my photographs not. These Palms are growing along a stream. Try and imaging they are looking at the valley and you might giggle.
In my struggles to capture the beauty of the palms I was making the tops too big and hairy –like a chicken with too big a head. In frustration I took tape and squared off the tops narrowing them. It looked hopeful so I added more gridded shapes and added gouache ( opaque watermedia).This facinating lesson for me has many beautifully grayed pastels and limited contrast which is very attractive.