Creekside Park Plein Air

This plein air painting measures 9x12 and was painted with acrylics on canvas board. The subject matter is "Muddy Creek" located inside of Creekside Park in Archdale, NC. It was nice to paint out where the public was passing by. I met several nice people who curiously wandered in to watch every now and then.


For some reason, right now, I'm drawn to water scenes. Not only because of the calming babble of the brook, but I believe it's because I know I haven't quite conquered the color formations that creeks and rivers present.

This one posed its greatest challenge in the bubbling moving water over the rocks. If I had a photograph...no problem...it would be a piece of cake to paint. But live, en plein air? Wow...I didn't realize how challenging it would be. During the painting, I even contemplated my reasoning for picking such a complex subject matter for my brief plein air experience.

But, I figure how else will you conquer the challenge unless you attack it. Overall, it turned out ok. I think my composition could have been better, but I'm looking forward to fixing that next time.