Painting in the deep dark woods

Well, not really deep dark woods.... more nice leafy ones near my home called Castle Rock SP.

I thought I'd throw up a post before I go on holiday for a number of weeks. 

I painted one of these a good while ago and since I've been enjoying painting Plein air and landscapes I thought I'd revist some old favorite locations. I love painting the complexity of a forest in a simpler Alla prima type style.

Light through rocks and trees (Castle Rock SP)

12X16

The older painting (two years ago approx.)
It's a great park, nice woodland with these fantastic boulders, and rocks.

Through the woods (Castle Rock SP)

14X18

On location, probably a very similar spot to the 1st.

Flowing through the wood

18X36

Did some quick sketches for this in the field, but painted later in the studio. The original seems to hold a little more depth and resonance that the photograph suggests, I wonder why?  I really pushed the colors around in this rendering responding to the warmth in the rocks in a dramatic way. I consciously kept some areas very contemporary in approach. I like the Fauvism feel to this painting with the palette choices; it feels like a bridge between my Still Life paintings and some of my landscapes....Something to explore perhaps?

Pinnacles National Monument

This weekend I was camping with family and friends at Pinnacles NM. It has to be my favorite park that's near-ish to where I live (an easy 2 hour drive). The scenery is fantastic with heavily erroded rocky crags and cliff faces that are so dramatic; There is a variety of follaiage as you move from riverbeds to the dry scrub hills (if that's the right words).  The park has an added bonus of two caves which prove a great incentive for kids who don't really want to walk, the promise of a cave and a flashlight works every time!  I love it at the park and often think I should consider doing an artists residence there sometime.

The weekend was all together too busy to do any Plein Air painting, but I took a camera and took lots of pictures, so there will no doubt be some paintings to follow painted from memory and the photographic reference.

Here are three little paintings I've painted of the park in the past. Strangely enough the large work titled ' Pinnacles National Monument' was painted only 2 weeks ago, I must have been channeling the forthcoming trip though I didn't realize it.

Red Pinnacle Crags (above Bear Gluch Resevoir)

size: 8X10   Acrylic on board

Pinnacles Study 

size: 7.5X18.5      Oil on a rather thick off-cut of wood

Pinnacles National Monument

size: 13X25.5     Acrylic on board