"Bright Green, Deep Shadows"

Pastel on sanded Arches cold press - 12x9

Painting sold 1st day of A Brush With Nature

I did a practice run at the Arboretum this morning in preparation for A Brush With Nature.  In the early morning, the sun catches the east end of the pond in a blaze of back lighting on the trees next to the water.  The woods behind are still in deep shadows.  I had to work quickly because by midday the sun light washes all this into an even shade of bright, overpowering green.

The challenge for this piece was making the background shadows something other than just dark, so I used purple and lavender to contrast the bright green on the bank and walkway.