Thursday, December 17, 2015

Old Bristlecone Pines

Old Bristlecone Pines
plein air oil  12" x 12"
click here for Paypal
$395.00 + $10. s/h
Holiday price $300.00
As I have done during past holiday seasons, all of my paintings are 25% off during December.  Changing all of the prices in my blog would be hard to do, so email and I'll send a Paypal button to you right away.   pamholnback@gmail.com

This plein air piece is from earlier this fall near Fariplay, CO when I participated in the South Park Plein Air Arts Celebration plein air event.  One day we painted at Bristlecone View Ranch just outside of Fairplay.  This grove of trees was a bit away from the ranch and covered most of a hillside.  I looked up bristlecone pine in Wikipedia and found this:

All three species are long-lived and highly resilient to harsh weather and bad soils. One of the three species, Pinus longaeva, is the longest-lived life form on Earth; the oldest individual is more than 5,000 years old,[1] making it the oldest known individual of any species.
Despite their potential age and low reproductive rate, bristlecone pines, particularly Pinus longaeva, are usually a first succession species, tending to occupy new open ground.[2]They generally compete poorly in less-than-harsh environments, making them hard to cultivate.[2] In gardens, they succumb quickly to root rot.[3] They do very well, however, where most other plants cannot even grow, such as in rocky dolomitic soils in areas with virtually no rainfall.[2]
Bristlecone pine grow in scattered subalpine groves at high altitude in arid regions of the Western United States. The name comes from the prickles on the female cones.[4]

3 comments:

JanettMarie said...

That is an amazing pine tree!!

Unknown said...

Very nice painting Pam. I like the subtle light that separates the two trunks and the strong brushwork describing the curvy growth of the trunks and branches.
I never heard of a Bristlecone Pine. One would not even know it was a pine tree. I always think of needles on a pine tree.

Pam Holnback said...

Thank you Janet. Patti, so glad you commented on the difference in the trunks. I hoped that there was just enough change. Merry Christmas to you both!