Stream by the Manzanita

It was a small stream that I found while hiking.  It was meandering through the dried grasses after a big storm in late October.  The water was cold and it reflected the colors of the sky.  How fun, I thought, to paint the journey of the water.

I chose to paint this on a solid black under painting and then painted on top of the under painting. The places where the black shows through is where I didn't paint. I love using black which gives the effect of bold outlines and enhances the colors and makes them dynamic, crisp and alive.