DAY 16 FALLING WATER

The Cascade | Pastel | 7 x 5

            

After years of drought, the sight of water cascading down the rocks is as refreshing as a cool drink.  We used to have a small waterfall which fell into a pond up at our property near Smallville, Ca. There, after a day spent plowing firebreaks or eradicating poison oak, we would grab a beer and sit under the falling water til our fingers wrinkled.  For me, that was the grandest reward for a day well spent!

Process: The substrate is Wallis Belgian Mist paper.  No need for underpainting as the color of the paper provided all that was needed. Dark to lights, then a black and a charcoal Nupastel to carve the rock faces. The falling water goes in last.  Pastels are ideally suited for painting cascading water; I can think of no other medium that so easily skips across while letting the under colors peak through.