Sea Street Bridge

Sea Street Bridge - In Progress

It was a mild February day and a perfect for mid-winter painting outside.   I bundled up as if it was zero degrees though - you never know how cold and damp the ocean air will be.    As usual I wandered east as I'm naturally drawn to water.  There is a bridge that connects the coastal barrier island, Humarock, to the mainland, the Sea Street Bridge.

Color Matching the Sky

It's nice when the sunlight is from behind because color comparisons are easier.   I mixed the color, scraped it up onto the palette knife, and held it up right next to the element being matched.   In this example, I show the sky color. To me, there is no better way to be accurate for both the color and the degree of lightness than putting the paint and subject side-by-side. 

Sea Street Bridge

With the bridge in the background I devoted most of the surface to the pretty winter flora.   The beach grasses were dried and bleached out from harsh winter conditions.   They were a stark contrast to the thick scrubby cedars - maroon-green - if I had to name the color.  Despite being in full sun, they were very dark, and as such became the dominant feature in the painting.