Stream At Eaton

"Stream At Eaton"

6" X 6" Oil on panel

Thought I'd try a painting with running water in it. With all the rain we had this winter it was nice to see the river running up at Eaton Canyon. I wasn't looking for a typical scene of the river up there where it is much easier to tell it is Eaton Canyon being painted...I was just looking for an image with a small waterfall and rocks. Doing a study of both of these subjects will help me down the line hence the painting here.....

I've been wanting to do a waterfall, even a small one, for some time now. I'd like to experiment with the various ways of portraying the water. I could have spent a little more time on this one but it was done alla prima today and I don't want to get burnt out over water...plenty of time to learn to paint small creeks and streams. I like painting the rocks and always seem to have to force myself to make them different values and colors. These have a little too much texture considering they are being polished by the water. On the next try I'll keep the rocks smoother down in the water and rougher along the shore...seems logical.