Rockpile



 I continued to work on the blocking in and painting rather than drawing in the early stages of the painting so that the mark making would be fresh at the end of the painting.



As I worked the rocks and tried to establish the shadow patterns I ran into some trouble with the amount of detail I already had.  Because the light was changing quickly it was difficult at times to remain true to my initial impression of the shadows and highlights.  I was constantly referencing my earlier observations to the current conditions and found myself chasing shadows.

I also had some difficulty finding the right mix of blues and greens for the water.  Because I have been painting seascapes a lot lately, I had burned through quite a few of my colors and was put in a position where I thought I had to improvise more.  I think I am ready to start painting plein air with oils.  I will need to get some new paint because I don't want to use my Old Holland outside.  It is way too expensive.