Christine, I have been painting with soft pastels for a little over a year, and am always looking at the differences I see in pastel artists. I have have admired a number of your scenes, as well as this one. You have really brought the reflected sunlight into play in this painting as it bounces of the rocks into the water. Very nice from my perspective.
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Amber Calm- Thursday Stories
I really love to go out towards the end of the day, and simply observe the warm colors of late afternoon; early evening.
I did so in a favorite Sedona location that is right on Oak Creek, and happens to be on the grounds of a resort. I had my camera with me, and took a photo...but mostly watched how the sun picked out different parts of the scene as it was going down.
I had been watching how some of the rocks lit up to an orange, with a beautiful shadow pattern playing across them. As the sun got lower, it highlighted some of the fresh new greens of an overhanging tree.
"Amber Calm", pastel, 12x12
I knew that this was the moment that I had to recreate in pastel. I stayed in the spot observing the colors and shapes for a while, making mental notes as I watched.
So, the next day I got out my pastels, using my reference and, more importantly, drawing on my memories of just how the light played across this intimate scene.
Staying on the spot, and really looking at what I was seeing made all the difference...you may say that I was painting it in my mind's eye while watching.
