Red Maple Leaf

I took a botanical art workshop on Saturday and did this red maple leaf. It's watercolor on Fabriano Hot Press paper. It has about 6 layers of color. I love painting the imperfections in Nature. The Eastern Red Maple (Acer rubrum) is native to the East Coast of the U.S. It is also called Scarlet Maple and Swamp Maple (it's often found in swamps). It produces small quantities of sap (unlike its cousin the Sugar Maple which produces large amounts) and its tannin was often used for dyes and inks by early settlers. It is said that the red of its fall foliage can be seen from space!