Foragings: Red Oak

In the spirit of my last post, I am sharing this encaustic mixed media piece from what I’m calling my Foraging series. I am often picking things up that catch my eye and adding them to collections in my studio. I have been doing this since I was a little girl and it seems that is a habit that I have passed on to my youngest now too. I love to surround myself with natural objects, but it also serves as inspiration. I may paint it in my nature journals or it may actually end up in a painting. I never know.

I had these pieces of wood that I wanted to add to the painting, but in order to do that I had to find a deep frame that could contain the depth in an aesthetically pleasing way. I was thrilled when I found the deep natural, unfinished wood frames. They are deep enough that it can sit on a shelf or table, but it can also be hung on the wall.

There are many many species of oak trees. However an oak tree can be grouped in either the White Oak group or the Red Oak group. An easy way to do that is to look at the lobes. If the lobes are pointed, as they are in my piece, then it is a Red Oak. If the lobes are rounded, it is safe to say it is a White Oak. To get more specific than that you’ll have to get your trusty tree field guide. Here is a quick explanation on WikiHow.