Composition and Color Study Ammonoousuc River

I had to get out of the house for a bit yesterday.  Did a couple of quick pencil drawings of a farm outbuilding and of two huge maple trees on the farm.  For whatever reason, I seem to be going through a pencil drawing stage now.  There is something about capturing a scene in just shades of graphite that appeals to me.  Some pencil drawings are very delicate yet incongruously breathtaking and powerful at the same time (I'm not referring to my own work - yet).

Yet, this entry is actually not about pencil drawings, so I'll get back on point (pun intended).  Despite my current passion for pencil, I also regularly feel the urge to work with color, even in the design phase of my work.  So what follows is one two color and composition studies that I completed yesterday on 12" x 18" paper using graphite, gouache, and previous on location studies for reference and inspiration.

Ammonusuc River Study

I am still getting used to gouache - it seems to dry darker then when I paint it - whereas transparent watercolor tends to dry a little lighter.  Practice practice practice.  This scene was inspired by a hike (and sketch) along the river last April.  There was still ice and snow in the woods at this time and the river was running rapidly although the level had been dropping as evidenced by the trees and ice deposited along the riverbank far above the current water level.  When you see a large tree "deposited" in still standing trees fifteen feet over your head - its impossible not to be reminded of the power of nature and the respect it is due from us all.    I didn't paint those elements as I really wanted to focus on the river - but that is a subject that I will return to in the future.

Old Mill Stream

This large watercolor is based on a nearby mill brook in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  The wollen mill was torn down within the past decade.  I'd always said I'd paint it, but I waited too long.

The rock wall in the foreground is part of the old canal system and actually is not visible from this view.  The two rock walls in the mid ground are part of the canal/power system for the old mill.  On this day the water was low but running rapidly over a breach in the dam.

This is one of the few spring paintings I've done.  There are so many colors in the spring as the trees begin to flower.  Not quite fall like, but colorful none the less.  I've simplified the overall composition while trying to stay true to the acutal location.

This location is actually quite a gem.  There is a walking path on the left with a view of the brook which continues along the Androscoggin River.