On the Rocks Shaws Cove

It had been a couple of days since I had painted and I needed to warm up.  I took a hike around the rocks on the north side of Shaws Cove.  As I hiked, I took pictures.  I was building compositions in my camera frame.  I could do a number of sketches to find the right composition, but it is so much quicker using the camera.  I can take a hundred pictures in about fifteen minutes.  

Because the shadows were moving quickly, I drew in the values.  I am usually more concerned with getting the shape right and let the values handle themselves.

This is not a bad place to spend your afternoon.  A bad day painting is better than a good day doing anything I can think of.  I set my easel facing south and looked to my right to the west.  When I set up my easel I am thinking about where the sun is and where the sun will be when the painting is finished.