Originally plein air paintings were used as a sketch book for oil painters. The small studies were used to develop larger pieces later in the studio. But today, with the popularity of plein air events, the expectations have changed. With that in mind, I needed to paint a larger piece. On Friday I went out with Marian Fortunati to Eaton Canyon and put my skills to a 16x20 panel.

I blocked in the values and started on the important focal points in the mid ground and foreground. The river bed was dry with only the rocks to trace the flow of the water. We stopped at about 12:30 so I planned to come back this week for one more morning.


The Sycamore in the foreground was the first area I worked on the second morning. I had a lot of  fun with the trunks and the different greens for the leaves. I did the mountains last and it wasn't until I got home later that day that I decided they just were not quite right. If you compare the finished painting at the top with this one, you can see that I simplified the shapes and lightened the colors. Now I am happy with my finished painting. All my paintings are for sale. If you would like more information about "Rocky River Bed" click on the title or to see other plein air paintings go to www.sharonweaver.com