Art Inspired by Tall California Trees | Wide Format Panorama Art

Here are my last four paintings created in 2024! These are all paintings of tall California trees that I’ve photographed and was inspired to paint.

Into the Light Bright Sky

Into the Light Bright Sky Redwood Forest Painting
Into the Light Bright Sky. 30″ x 60″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

At 30″ x 60″, this gigantic painting looks like a large window in the wall.

Into the Light Bright Sky. 30″ x 60″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

The angles of the tall redwood trees growing up into the sky create the feeling of a three-dimensional space, a sense of airy openness between the trees. All the space is suffused with a warm white light.

Painting of tall California trees: Into the Light Bright Sky. 30″ x 60″

Paintings of the redwood forest are always amazing at a large scale! When the painting fills the whole wall like this, it brings to mind the impressive scale of these ancient trees.

Artist with painting in the studio: Into the Light Bright Sky

The colors in this painting glow and overlap in subtle layers.

Detail: Into the Light Bright Sky. 30″ x 60″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

The overall mood is set by large areas of soft and cloudy colors blending into one another, and when you look closer, you’ll notice small details of tree branches in the distance.

Detail: Into the Light Bright Sky. 30″ x 60″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

Up close, you can see interesting brush strokes and splatters of paint.

Detail: Into the Light Bright Sky. 30″ x 60″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee
Detail: Into the Light Bright Sky. 30″ x 60″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

The painting continues around the edges of the large wood panel.

Detail: Into the Light Bright Sky. 30″ x 60″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

These tall California trees are one of the most awe-inspiring sights on Earth. This painting has a strong presence, and lights up the room.

Artist in studio with painting: Into the Light Bright Sky. 30″ x 60″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

Rose-Hued Redwood Dream

Rose-Hued Redwood Dream. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

The title comes from the pink tones of the tree in the center of the painting.

Detail: Rose-Hued Redwood Dream. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

This painting feels dreamy not only because of the warm and whimsical colors, but also because of the simplified shapes of the trees and the the negative space between them. Because of this, the whole image has a smooth feeling, a dreamy softness to it.

Rose-Hued Redwood Dream. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

Up close, you can see the looseness of the brush strokes in the paint.

Detail: Rose-Hued Redwood Dream. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee
Detail: Rose-Hued Redwood Dream. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

This wide panorama format is only 12″ high, but 48″ across, so it can cover a very wide area of wallspace, and is ideal for the space above a bed or a wide console table.

Artist in studio
Artist with painting: Rose-Hued Redwood Dream

Yellow Forest Sparkle

Yellow Forest Sparkle. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

The mood of this painting is happy and lively, with the bright yellow-green colors creating an uplifting feeling.

Yellow Forest Sparkle. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

Rough splashes and drips of paint create visual interest, and contribute to the glittery effect, reminiscent of countless leaves glinting in the sunshine.

Detail: Yellow Forest Sparkle. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

The sun shining through the center glows yellow along the edges of the tree trunks. The illusion of brilliant white light curving around the tree’s form almost makes us blink!

Detail: Yellow Forest Sparkle. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

This painting is full of beautiful abstract details.

Detail: Yellow Forest Sparkle. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee
Artist with art: Yellow Forest Sparkle

Leaving Yosemite

Leaving Yosemite. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

As referenced by the title, the painting was inspired by a photo I took from the window of a car, as we drove down the highway after exiting Yosemite National Park in California.

Leaving Yosemite. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

It was sunset, with the impossibly tall trees along the roadside silhouetted by the colors in the wide-open sky. You can see just a hint of a blue mountain range in the distance along the bottom.

Leaving Yosemite. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

This painting is full of thick texture.

Detail: Leaving Yosemite. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

The sky is a gradient between the warm orange on the left and a calm blue-white on the right.

Detail: Leaving Yosemite. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee

The trees are silhouettes, but if you look closely, you’ll see that they are not simply black, but painted in a variety of colors including a deep purple, greens, browns, and towards the periphery of the trees, warm orange-red tones.

Detail: Leaving Yosemite. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee
Detail: Leaving Yosemite. 12″ x 48″, Acrylic on Wood, © 2024 Cedar Lee
Artist with painting: Leaving Yosemite

Contact me if you are interested in any of these original paintings, or prints of them.

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