Focused on Erik's Pond

Erik's Pond, 30x40 oil on linen  ( In Progress)

Today I have turned my attention full time to the pond painting.  Up until now all you have seen has been underpainting.  First the toning of the linen with burnt umber and then a sketchy looking ring of trees to show what the perspective would be.  Then I added some bright sky colors so when dry they could peak through the subsequent layers.  Today I started laying on the paint, working all around the canvas. I am beginning to give the shore line some push pull and will continue with that tomorrow.  The trees are beginning to be defined and I want to add some trunks and perhaps some dead branches to break up the really thick foliage.  I have decided where the heron will be taking off from and will have to cause some rippling in the water from where he disturbed it. The dock will get more definition and a splash of light hitting it.  The sky needs more refining and I want to pull in some of the lily pads on the surface of the water. This is the fun part of painting!  Things will start to move quickly now. As usual I worked beyond the optimum light and finished the afternoon under warm studio lights.  The images I took with the lights on would not have needed any cropping but the colors were too yellowed.  This photo was taken in natural light but I had to crop all around so you didn't end up seeing a crooked painting but at the same time some nice passages of color were kept from view.

Looking at "Little No Name" from yesterday's paint out with fresh eyes today I have decided I might be able to salvage it and want to give it a go.  I do like the sky and the silvery tone that dominates the painting because of the overcast day.  It's not a big deal, I just want to see if I can make it work and if I can't I can't. 
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