This is the second time I've painted the RFK Bridge (or the Triborough, as I will always think of it). Both times I stood at the same spot under the shelter of an amiable tree in Carl Schurz Park. I love this particular view of the bridge as it peeks behind the foliage and glows in the afternoon sun. I wanted another go at it after taking Sam Adoquei's wonderful landscape workshop earlier in the summer.
RFK Triborough Bridge, Oil on Board, 8x10 in
Getting the Green Right
At the workshop Sam generously shared countless tips on how to approach landscape painting (some of which I've discussed in previous posts). For example, he urged us to observe color closely, and to make our green mixtures using the blue colors--and not the greens that come straight out of the tube. And to search for the yellow ochre, raw sienna, pinks, oranges, and mauves in the greens. He also assured us that green is the hardest of all the colors to mix. And I can definitely testify to that!
But mixing my greens wasn't the only challenge. Another big one was trying to catch a glimpse of the bridge with the sun shining right on it. Because the clouds kept moving through, and the sun played hide and seek behind them. Every time I looked up the bridge was a different color. And sometimes I'd have to wait and wait and wait while the sun decided to reappear. But no matter. For me these challenges are part of the joy of landscape painting. Because what fun would it be if it were easy?
But mixing my greens wasn't the only challenge. Another big one was trying to catch a glimpse of the bridge with the sun shining right on it. Because the clouds kept moving through, and the sun played hide and seek behind them. Every time I looked up the bridge was a different color. And sometimes I'd have to wait and wait and wait while the sun decided to reappear. But no matter. For me these challenges are part of the joy of landscape painting. Because what fun would it be if it were easy?
