Bright Rock, 2007
oil pastel on paper
I started this oil pastel drawing on a piece of paper that had a medium green ground color on it. I drew the composition and started working with some of the highlight and shadow areas first.
I began working on the background next, much like working on a sky, as something that the foreground image would need to cover later in the process. I liked the directional strokes I had in the initial sketch so I tried to keep the feel as I went along, giving the woods a life of their own.
Then I worked on finishing most of the woods and specific trees. I wanted the light to come from straight overhead, as it was when I saw this spot originally. I like the idea of the light bouncing its way down through the branches of trees when it filters through the woods. That seems to make the place feel like the woods really feel.
I began filling in the rock next. There were such contrasts on the rock itself so I knew I needed to make the dark areas rich and varied or it would just look like a big black blob. I used a bunch of different blues and purples and greens and started the highlights with oranges and tans, knowing I'd be adding something later to really make them pop.
Finqlly I worked on finishing the rock, making all of the high contrasts work and creating a solid feeling in it. I also made several small changes in the woods, intensifying the light overhead and making the water sparkle like the day I saw this down in the cool creek bottom in Cloudland Canyon.
