Painting in Santiago Canyon

 This pastel painting is done on masonite with a pumice and acrylic paint texture.  This is the second painting I have done on my surface.  I used Golden fine pumice gel with Paynes Gray acrylic paint.  I painted the mixture onto the masonite.  The tempered hardboard is 3/8th's thick and cut to size.  I bought a couple of sheets at home depot.

 The main focus of the painting is the oak so I established its shape and size relative to the rest of the painting.  The surface measures 24"X36".

 I defined the overall compostion and established some of the lights and dark parts of the painting to which everything else will be compared.

 I worked then to establish more detail in the background of the painting and worked to establish some distance in the painting through changing the color of the trees and the hills in the background.

 I then went back to the oak in the foreground and tried to establish the detail of the tree.

 I adjusted the sky a little to a lighter and greener blue.

 I then went to the hills and filled in the details and lightened them up.

 I then focused on the foreground and put down complementary colors as a underpainting to the detail of the dried grasses that I was about to add.

 I then added the detail to the foreground and some finishing touches to the oak tree.

 Finished...Santiago Canyon Oak in the Wash.