Tridelphia Reservoir

Tridelphia Reservoir, oils on canvas panel, 9" x12."

Yesterday I went back to paint at Tridelphia Reservoir with the Howard County Plein Air group. This time we met farther up the lake at another area new to me. Several artists I had met before were already there, and I was tickled to see an old friend from Lee Boynton's class: Rita Curtis. Rita is a very accomplished painter who is just starting to promote her work on Facebook. 

The water level at the reservoir was much lower than it had been a few weeks ago when we painted at the Greenbridge boat ramp, and these big rocks were exposed all along the banks--three large rocks projecting where a finger of the lake recedes seemed like the perfect focal point for a painting.

Lately I notice that I'm able to get down the variety of color and texture that I want in these plein air oil paintings. The ability is not consistent yet, but happens more frequently--I'm becoming more fluent in the language of color, as Lee would say. Though I probably should have put in a bit more violet in the reflections where the trees farthest away are.