Cypress Hill - stages 1 - 3

Stage 1

Literally Cypress Hill, a hill with cypress trees on it - I like to title a painting sometimes with a well-known phrase etc that has associations that I then ignore and don't illustrate in any way. It somehow gives the painting title an extra resonance.
This is another of my current series of simple but more experimental paintings in terms of look and technique. With this one I am trying out using some paint shapers that I use to take away the paint from the picture surface, this gives some interesting textures and shapes although these only work with transparent paints as far as I can tell. 
Stages 1 and 2 show the initial layer of transparent paint that has been roughly applied with an old bristle brush, the colours being a mix of Transparent Maroon, Burnt Umber and Alizarin Crimson thinned with Liquin and turpentine. I then used some plastic paint shapers to remove little flicks of paint to imitate the look of fallen leaves.
Stage 3 shows the final complete underpainting with the tree roughly painted in and some tone in the sky.

Stage 2

Stage 3