Santiago Creek Resevoir

I got a late start.  I wanted to paint at Newport Back Bay but I did not want to hassle the traffic on the way home.

I wasn't sure where I was going to paint and I ran across this reservoir.  It had a strange resemblance to the back bay composition that I thought about painting.

Here is the initial drawing.  There were some unusual shapes and perspective issues with this composition.

While blocking in the large shapes, I have to be careful to keep my sense of the composition because of the dark colors being laid down.

With the block in finished, I am evaluating the values and the shapes to insure that I can move forward without having to recreate the most basic parts of the painting.

Here I am working to further the definition of both shapes and values relative to everything within the painting to make sure I am maintaining the compositional context.

I continue to define shapes further; making sure to keep everything related.  I was having difficulty with the atmospheric perspective values in the distance.

In every painting, there are moments when parts of the painting happen quickly.  Usually, the moments that happen the quickest are the best.  When the brush moves quickly and freely the results feel and look the best.  It usually comes in a part of the painting that has been left undeveloped for quite a while in the process.  It usually happens in a problem area.  An area that I have been trying to figure out how to approach.  There is a go-for-it moment.  I have studied and thought what should happen and decide on trusting my feeling.  The choices come quickly and are usually bold.  Instead of getting tighter in difficult parts of the painting, I become more decisive and execute without hesitation.

Making sure the contrasts between shapes is right.  Making sure that the painting flows.

The lightest lights at the end.  When is enough enough?

You can see there is still paint left on the pallet.  I am still working at using all of the paint for each outing.  I really am putting down a lot of paint, but I hate throwing away the unused paint.

The finished painting. "Santiago Creek Reservoir" Plein air oil on board 24x32.  

The value shot.  Did I get it right?

The detail shot shows the brush work and the abstract nature of some parts of the painting.