Reservoir Park

[Bongo]

What used to be a 16acre reservoir is now a 16acre park - with a Water Tower. It's in the Maple Leaf neighborhood ( thus the maple leaves).

My sketch

I sketch with a polychrome pencil - which is oil-based. I heard of painters coating their panel with liquin before painting, so I gave it a try.
Interesting side note. Although polychrome pencil does fine under oil paint - not so much under liquin. The photo is not blurry - the sketch is melting.

the block-in

progress

Resevoir Park - oil on 18" x 14" panel -- comments welcomed

 

[triss]

Great to see your plein air set-up (it's much more advanced than mine!). Love the result of your block-in - really interesting, and I'm a bit sorry so much of it got covered - but you've landed on a terrific finished piece. Lovely texture and very coherent colours. I particularly like your brushwork for the trees.

 

[Grapes]

Bongo, the path is leading nicely to the painting and to the water tower. Yellow flowers as dots are good on the ground so that grass lawn has more variety. There could be some more difference in color/(value) between the grass lawn and the distant trees/tree line but it can be also the photograph that I'm seeing it similar. (I really can not judge the value because I wasn't there to see the values.) I like how the distant buildings are set in the background area. Very well done!
Never heard of polychrome pencils, thanks for the info and how they behave with liquin.

 

[P. Barrie]

Good color! You have captured the light of the overcast sky and soft glow in the greens.

 

[Reddyman]

Bongo, this looks great and enjoyed seeing the Plein Air set-up as well. Thanks for sharing the progression slides. Your result looks super with a nice lead in and great palette. Nice subtle cloud structure as well!

John

 

[Artyczar]

Good one (again)! I love all the little yellow flowers and leaves scattered over the grass. Great sky...and the water tower is the star of the show of course.

 

[Donna T]

Your work inspires me to look more closely at urban scenes for painting potential, Bongo. Other than the melting sketch it looks like you had a good day out there. Nice painting!

 

[Bongo]

Barie, John, Artyczar - kind words thank you so much

Moscatel - you're right about the trees, I've since changed the value/colors. Simple painting but gave me fits. Many layers of wet paint on wet paint - finally had to stop because it was turning to mud.

oops pencil is a polychromos (not polychome)

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Triss - my Plein air setup is not all that advanced. Just a Yarka box easel and a re-purposed beach bag. The Yarka is the Russian version of a French easel.

Donna - there are good Urban scenes to paint all over. Many very good Urban Plein air painters on youtube to draw inspiration from.

 

[Nufocus]

Bongo, I truly like how you “simplify” the scene(s) in front of you. Without sounding too schmaltzy, I do believe that one needs to instill the scene with his/hers own sensations, e.g. good ol’ Vincent. So you are doing it and I really like it.

 

[Terri]

Beautiful!