Discovering the Black Tupelo

After another visit to the tree where I gathered those mysterious, brilliant red leaves—and a bit of research with the help of a Google image search—I finally solved the mystery. The stunning leaves came from a Black Gum tree (or Black Tupelo), a native species known for its brilliant scarlet foliage each autumn.

I was so captivated by their color and graceful shape when I saw them that I couldn’t resist picking up handful and bringing them ho. To paint them, I arranged the leaves in a gentle, conch-like spiral and painted them in watercolor, layering shades from pyrrol scarlet to deep crimson and maroon. My goal was to capture the luminous beauty and quiet strength of this often-overlooked tree, one that was surprisingly not familiar to me.

I hope this piece conveys a little of the wonder I felt standing beneath that canopy of exceptional color. For those interested in learning more about the beautiful, native Black Gum tree, you can visit this article from the Municipality of Princeton.