I had a rare week to myself back in April of 2022 while Ido was away at a backgammon tournament - and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
I laced up my hiking boots, filled up my Camelbak bag with water, and stuffed my travel paint kit in my bag. And then drove 30 minutes south to the Keren HaCarmel forest.
I knew this trail - Ido and I had hiked this easy loop before, and I was eager to go back to it on my own, so I'd have a chance to linger, sit and paint whenever I wanted.
Not only that - it's a truly beautiful and interesting trail.
The mountains here are covered with tall pine trees, and the fallen needles make the air smell sweet and soften the sound of my boots on the trail. The trees also provide merciful shade from the Middle Eastern sun on hot days.
Free-roaming red-and-white cows are also common here in the north - and, on that day, I came across a dozen of them to the side of the trail, with a couple of lazy calves spooning with their heavy-set mothers in the underbrush.
But, most notable of all, are the ancient tombs along the path. I'm not exactly sure how old they are, but there's more than a dozen of them with open and visible doorways. And many more that simply haven't been unearthed. That's the wild thing here in Israel - there just isn't the budget to officially excavate all the many MANY ancient sites here.
But the main thing I had wanted to find was the grove of olive trees just before the first row of carved tombs.
I found a shaded spot, sat down in front of a good olive tree - and simply started to paint. And when my butt finally went numb, I walked around and took pictures of as many trees as possible - so I could them all back to my art desk at home and paint them at home.
This was one of the trees I sat with in the Keren HaCarmel Forest that beautiful spring day.
DIMENSIONS:
- 5 inches by 7.25 inches (12.5 cm x 18.5 cm)
WATER:
- The Sea of Galilee
- Collected and bottled up from a rocky beach near Magdala
MATERIALS:
- Daniel Smith Watercolors
- Micron Archival Pens
- White Gelly Roll Pen (for highlights)
- Cold Press Paper
Olive Tree #1
If you're buying this for my special "get home for Christmas sale", please read this! 🧡
Please be aware that while you are able to purchase this lovely piece of artwork now, it will not be shipped to you until after I arrive in the States in mid-December.
I know, I know - not exactly Amazon Prime shipping standards 😅
However, this means your shipping costs are *way* cheaper, and your artwork will have a shorter (and safer) distance to travel
And, by purchasing now, you are helping me cover the cost of flying home for Christmas for the first time in 3 years (!).
So - thank you ever so much for your patience. And just let me know if you have any questions or concerns!