Coffee Park End of Summer

With the end of summer upon us, the leaves are starting to fall and the air is getting chilly. I painted this scene earlier in the year when it was cold and snowy, it seems like years ago but it was just January. The weather today was much nicer, so I did a little painting on lunch hour. There was a picnic bench to sit on, so I could set up my paints properly. In fact I am so used to painting in awkward situations, it actually felt weird to paint on a flat surface for once! 

This scene was very drab and dark due to cloudy conditions, but it was important to give the feeling that summer was still a near dear memory. So the grass was painted with more chroma and contrast than in real life and I adjusted the brown shade of the trees to be warmer. This was the first time painting with the adjusted palette, raw umber was removed and replaced with dark rose red (PV19). It is a Schmincke paint called quinacridone violet. The names are confusing in this range of colours, that is why 'dark rose red' is more accurate... between magenta and red, and very dark. It mixes warm browns and intense oranges, and makes great greys.
 

Coffee Park End of Summer, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, September 2021 (No. 2829)