Journey in Pastel Painting 22-005: The Beginnings of Another

Photo courtesy: Duane Wheeler

I was just starting work on the fourth painting of the year when my friend, Duane Wheeler, posted another absolutely stunning photo on March 19, and I couldn’t resist it. (He’d given permission for me to use any of his photos for reference.) I was too far into the other to let this one take precedence, but this one called to my soul.

The stormy sky, misty mountains and distant trees, and the river flanked by trees and bushes along the shore totally drew me in. I couldn’t even find words to describe how this scene captivated me. It pulled at my heartstrings.

Even though it was an editing workday, I took time to print two 5 x 7s (one in color and the other in grayscale) and one 8 x 10. These gave me details and perspectives and help me see nuances.

Initial 5 x 7 drawing 

The original photo, printed as 8 x 10 image size, actually measures 4 x 10. This creates a challenge when I use papers of different sizes. My preferred sizes to paint are not the popular sizes and are more rectangular than the panoramic view his photos depict. I have to play around with the composition to fill the paper while still keeping the scene realistic.

I did an initial drawing on a 5 x 7 sketch pad using a sketching pencil and vine charcoal. Then this was put aside while I finished the other painting.

I'm calling this "Towards Misty Mountains," but I'm not sold on the title.

Setting the scene with shapes and values

On April 9, I was ready to work on this one. The paper I chose measured 9 ¼ x 14 ½ when I taped it to the board. I measured out approximate thirds on the original photo and the paper and again, using a sketch pencil and vine charcoal, sketched the scene, set shapes, and values.