Aspen on Black

Two more from this informal series of aspen fall colors.

Aspen #3

12x9 inches

pastel on w/c paper toned with black acrylic

At a pull-out along Hwy 550 near Molas Pass, this looks up.  A spruce-covered mountain in the distance anchors the perspective.  I actually re-worked this a bit today, after taking the photo of it yesterday.  Awkward shapes and colors stand out more in photos.  

Aspen #4

12x9 inches

pastel on w/c paper toned with black acrylic

I was drawn to the gradation of bright yellow to pale to dark greens in this stand lit by late afternoon sun.  Small patches of orange from a few non-conformist trees add some variety.  I see I forgot to scumble the sky colors a bit better.  One thing about this home-made surface:  it doesn't have lots of tooth, and doesn't take kindly to attempts to create fine lines (like tree trunks).  

And, finally, what prompted me to work on dark paper and re-think my approach to painting this aspen series, specifically the term "overworked":

Fail.

18x12 inches 

pastel on green Strathmore 500-series paper

I plan to revisit this on the black surface, since there are elements I love about the original photo.