Bull Creek Trail

Bull Creek Trail, 8 x 10

Saturday morning's PAA paintout was in northwest Austin in a canyon near the source of Bull Creek. Spring has sprung in serious fashion at this spot, a good thing in most every sense. However, the wildly rapid growth of the of every form of plant life in the last couple weeks made for a venue arguably in need of a trim.

It was extremely difficult to simplify values and colors, with so many shades of green and the unwieldy shapes of the new growth. When I left around noon, I was not very satisfied and in need of a nap, feeling I had made little more than a good start after two hours of painting. Said nap seems to have helped, as I was then able to see the bright side, as it were, and finally come away with something I am pretty happy with.

Finding Lost Creek

Finding Lost Creek, 8 x 6
SOLD

This morning Laurel's plein air class met at Lost Creek, in southwest Austin. It was sprinkling on and off all morning, though we were able to paint from under a bridge spanning said creek. The title, Finding Lost Creek, refers to the fact that, in contrast to the conditions a year ago, the creek is flowing strongly enough now that it can be found by following the mild roar of rushing water.

As far as painting from underneath this particular bridge, I don't recommend it on a cloudy day. It was virtually impossible to tell the different color temperatures that I had mixed on my pallet, due to lack of light, and the constant looking back and forth from the relatively bright landscape to the dimly lit pallet. Because of this, I ended up doing considerable color adjustment and general tweaking, once I got home.