Fire Watch

 I got into Santiago Canyon around 10 am after painting 3 boards.  I drove through the canyon looking for a good vantage point to paint Saddle Back Mountain.

I have painted here a couple of times before because of the views. There is 180 view of the canyon that provides many different subjects.  Today I was interested in the mountains because of their color.  The atmospheric conditions turned the mountains into a electric glow.

 The wide shoulder is perfect for a quick set up and tear down.

 After a quick and efficient sketch I drew in all of the main elements of the composition in various shades of blue ala Kim VanDerHoek.

 I used the violet as a guide to indicate the hills.  I continued to work in the various blue values in order to describe the picture in more detail.

 At this point I felt I had taken the drawing as far as I could with this approach.

 Here I am working at getting all of the values to work through out the painting.  In addition, I am adding the foreground to make sure I have the right balance in value and color.

The wind really began to pick up.  My painting must have blown off the easel at least half a dozen times before I pointed my easel in the opposite direction.  The wind was now pushing my painting onto the easel but I was now painting with the shade on my surface.  This made color selection more difficult.

 This is what the painting looked like with the shade on it.  Compare it to the next photo to get an idea of the difference I had to adjust to.

The last thing I added was the lightest light in the lower left foreground.  As I finished up a volunteer drove up, parked, and came over to look at my painting.  She and about a dozen others were in the canyon to make sure to deter any possible fire threat situations.  On the side of their SUV's were magnetic signs that said "FIRE WATCH".  The volunteer thanked me for finding a safe way to enjoy the canyon.

Fire Watch 24" X 36" soft pastel on board treated with pumice gel and acrylic paint.

Value shot

Detail shot