High Falls #2

This 12x8 pastel was painted May 5. It is the second time I've painted the 100 foot tall High Falls in downtown Rochester (the first one is here). This time I zeroed in on the falls themselves, from the western side of the Pont de Rennes foot bridge. The backlighting was wonderful. I almost gave up on this painting half way through, as I was having a real hard time finding the right colors for the shaded part of the waterfall (just to the left of the rocks) but I'm glad I kept at it, I like the way this one turned out. The whites in the photo are a little too bright, which masks some of the subtlety in the spray/most to the left of center.

Pittsford Roses

This 8x10 pastel was painted Friday, June 13 in Pittsford.

I'm not usually interested in painting buildings, but was drawn to the contrast between the large blooming rose bush and the edges of the porch. It was a tough morning...started out cloudy and threatening rain (thunder in the distance), so the contrasts were muted. Later on the sun broke through and cast highlights onto parts of the rose bush and the porch, especially the roof. The painting was looking a little dull, so I added some of those highlights but may have lost the overall coherency. Had a real tough time with the color and tone of the white parts of the porch, especially those in shade.