Sunday, March 7, 2010

Bridge over Mill Creek

Bridge Over Mill Creek, oil/linen panel, 14x11

I went back to the creek (see the last blog) to paint the view looking the other way. I think the creek is Mill Creek, the same creek that runs through Comstock Park. Anyway, it was another beautiful day, although this time I arrived in early morning and there was a bite in the air and I was glad I had dressed warmly.
As I set up to paint, the scene seemed a little overwhelming with all the trees and branches. The water seemed complicated with snow reflections and tree shadows as well as the variations of light from the sun. I decided to emphasize the old railroad bridge and I decided I liked how the shapes worked together. I painted this one in a shape by shape method as I went along because of all the complicated shapes involved. It also helped to squint my eyes to simplify and edit out some of the trees. I only hope the reflections read well in the water as that seemed to give me the most trouble. Overall, I am happy with this little painting and it makes a nice companion piece to "Creek in March."

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