Park Trail #15

"Park Trail #15"  (pastel over watercolor, 5x7 inches)  click here to bid

For our family vacation this year I decided to continue my short series of park trails, since we are big fans of nature walks and are always finding new places to get in our daily exercise.

OK, I must be honest and tell you that many of these upcoming paintings were started in the studio at home before we left. (OK, many of them were finished there too!) I know myself, and from experience I know that I'm so not likely to stop in the middle of a walk, plant myself, and tell the family "You all go on and pick me up on your way back around... I'm going to sit here and paint this gorgeous, fleeting light!" Ha.

Now, I've done just enough painting on location to have a great admiration for those dedicated plein-aire painters, and am a huge fan of countless artists who have mastered the magic of capturing atmospheric changes and ephemeral sunlight with nothing but their eyes and their medium. I've long since come to terms with the bargain I've made between myself, my camera and my subject.

Besides, I can't sit still on a walk. I'm much too impatient to see what's beyond the next bend!

Below shows the watercolor underpainting with the first layer of pastel. And this was my 'out-the-door-quick' selection of pastels that I took along to another job, so I could get some of these paintings done during the down time...

This was on Wallis museum grade paper mounted on acid-free foam board. I love Wallis for watercolor.

.