Late Afternoon Live Oaks | 9×12 | Oil on Linen Panel

Inspiration for Late Afternoon Live Oaks

With Late Afternoon Live Oaks, I really might be pushing how often an artist can return to one location. 😉 Late afternoon at this place is just so heavenly. During the non-summer months when the weather is cool and fair, utter tranquility reigns. The variations of texture and hue seem to multiply beautifully the longer one gazes out! The shadows shift quickly during this time of day, which always presents a challenge for painters. Capturing the essence of the scene while attempting to imply detail is especially difficult to me!

History about Naval Live Oaks

The U.S. government purchased this location in 1828 as the first and only federal tree farm. It began operations January 18, 1829, and serves today as part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore forest community. The National Park Service preserved Naval Live Oaks on January 8, 1971, then added it to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1998. The land comprising the present Naval Live Oaks area was purchased with the goal of reserving the valuable live oak resources for shipbuilders.  Superintendent Henry Marie Brackenridge lived on the tree farm and experimented with cultivating the live oak, hence he is probably the United States’ first federal forester. Find out more about Naval Live Oaks Reservation at the National Park Service website, or Wikipedia!