Painting the Virgin River - Zion - Part 1

 On the second day of my recent painting trip to Zion National Park, we decided to take on the challenge of painting moving water.

Perched on a rock right at the water's edge

I had never attempted painting a river en plein air, so I was excited to take on the challenge.

early stage- blocking in

 I liked trying to capture the contrasting colors  and values of the rocks above and beneath the water.

Virgin River Ripple- 8" x 8" oil on panel, Greg Newbold

My first attempt shown here was fairly successful but I felt that I could have pushed the warm/cool contrasts in the water and introduced a few more cool greens. That said, I enjoyed the process and like the abstract shapes that the rocks make.