How Beautiful the Leaves Grow Old!

How beautiful the leaves grow old is the title of my (finally) finished last man standing ....... I'm hoping that with this one off the easel, my creative juices may flow a little more easily. And without much ado, here it is.

How Beautiful the Leaves Grow Old! 

The title is by John Burroughs, a writer of books and essays about natural history and a great friend of the poet Walt Whitman. '' How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and colour their last days'. Far from being drab and dreary the dying leaves of autumn glow in their fiery, fabulous hues before they depart. 

I always thought of myself as a summer lover but (perhaps being in the Autumn of my life) I think autumn has really taken over as my favourite season of the year. Nature's palette is really so abundant at this time, still the juicy green of the grass or the yellows of the ripened corn, the oranges of leaves and pumpkins, rapidly changing skies; it’s all there for the artist to enjoy. One last chance to splash those pastels in a riot of colour before the monochromatic palette of winter takes over. 

Quickie peep at a close up! 

Here we've got the contrast between the darks of the branches, the twining ivy and those flame like colours of the last leaves, clinging on for one or two last days. 

All very poetic but what now! Hmmmmm, let’s just see where the fancy takes me next!