Plein Air #9
A big surprise for us here in the prairies….middle of September and a BEAUTIFUL fall day. Hot, even. So of course the hubby and I had to escape once more to our summer retreat for one more day, before it turns cold here and the colors all disappear.
Having my pastels currently in use on a larger project at home in the studio, I opted to bring my watercolors with me today. Something a little different for a change. This scene is similar to where I was sitting for #6 seen further down, but the colors of the trees have changed since and the sandbar has shifted as the water levels of the river are down even more than before. It was also a perfectly calm day, not a ripple to be found…the river was like glass…a perfect mirror to capture the fall colors that rose above it.
I was able to capture a slightly different feel to this painting compared to the one I created in pastels. I found myself trying to put lighter colors on top of darker colors, and well, those of you who work in watercolors know that isn’t possible to do. (Wish I’d brung my gouaches!) I’ve sure been using pastels for so long it was just second nature to try and do this. But, I think it still turned out not bad all considering, that I’m not a watercolorist by nature. 
“The Last Vestiges of Summer” - approx. 8 1/2″ x 10 ” watercolor /pastel on 300lb cold press
