Rust Never Sleeps

My schedule has changed and it has been difficult to find the time to paint.  I have been working on a photo realistic pencil drawing for the last couple of weeks.  It has been so difficult to spend so much time on this drawing because it is so labor intensive.  In the time I have spent on this drawing, I could have completed 5 paintings.

I had put some over sized pastels in my back pack a couple of weeks earlier.  This was the first time that I had used them.  The larger sized marks really sped up the painting process.

It had only been a couple of weeks since I had painted en plein air, but it felt like a lot longer while I was painting.  I was surprised at how awkward and uncoordinated I felt while painting.

At this point, I am finished with the large pastels and I am ready to start refining the painting.

The finished painting measures 24"X 36".  I was really happy with the color but everything else seemed like a struggle.  The drawing was ok at best.  The composition seemed weak.  My use of the space did not match what my intention was for the painting.  It was really discouraging to have slipped that much in such a short time.

The value shot.

The detail shot.