I completed my 5th painting of the canal on Friday night and have done drawings for the 6th. I’ve really enjoyed working on this series. To begin with I thought I’d do 4 pictures. Then I found two more.  The lines and shapes in this one are so strong, I don’t know how I could have missed it!  What’s so interesting is the way various places show up in the paintings, highlighted in some, as distant features in others. The bridges are fascination and most of the paintings have 2-3 of them. I also love the pieces of light reflecting off the walls. The windows and their reflections are completely different!  I just have to trust the photo to be right. I liked working on  the white Pastel Premiere. I used a fairly dark underpainting and found that lightly brushing Giraults on top left little pieces of the dark showing through that was effective in the wall and building on right, as well as the bridge. I used a variety of blues-blue violets and blue greens, along with deep red violet in the underside of the bridge, and a progression of oranges that goes the length of the canal.  I was happy to be able to put another small figure in this one to break up the expanse of the towpath.

C & O Canal Georgetown, #5, 20 x 24, Pastel Premiere 400