Totally Awesome Trade!

I love trading art for art!  I don't often see paintings that I really want and usually when I do, I really can't afford them.  But every now and again, I have the opportunity to trade and I love it!  I have been admiring this painting by Kit Lagreze called "Crab-apple Tree".  It was shown at Artwell in their annual Landscape and Still Live show and it was a painting I just couldn't stop looking at.   I finally got to meet Kit and we had a great conversation about paint and artists and I think she's one to watch! 
I traded the top painting for the bottom. 
Kit is truly a painters painter.  She moves paint around with such ease and confidence.  This is so much about manipulation of paint and color and texture.  There are areas where the paint is quite thin, there are areas of transparency, there are areas that are quite opaque, and sit on top of all the other layers, yet somehow, visually recede.  I love the variety of bold and fantastic marks and different brushes used also.  There are some beautiful moments of complimentary color play as well.  I especially love that this is a landscape, yet the image is secondary to the medium.  Just love it.