The Pond at Glen Park

The Pond at Glen Park
Acrylic on paper
8"x10"
Chris Breier © 2017

I enjoy painting outdoors during the summer when the weather allows. On this occasion my brother and I decided to paint at Glen Falls. On previous painting excursions I have painted the waterfall at Glen Falls but this time I decided to focus on area with the ponds. A small strip of the pond is visible in this painting and it continues under the arch of the bridge. My brother and I refer to the park as "Duck Paradise" because that's where they like to congregate, although on this occasson they were hanging out at the other end of the pond so I didn't get a chance to put them in the painting.

It's a serene place to visit and and that's what I aimed to capture with this painting. It's a small oasis in the middle of the bustling village. Many people who work in the area spend their lunch breaks there. As a painter, it's a great location to spend an evening painting outdoors while listening to the sounds of rushing water and quacking ducks.

The majority of this painting was completed outside with a few finishing touches applied back in my studio.

I have also painted part of the gravel path at Glen Park,  Autumn trees at glen Park, a watercolor painting of the waterfall, and another plein aire acrylic painting of Glen Falls.

Glen Falls, Before the Rain

Glen Falls, Before the Rain
Acrylic on Gessobord
8"x10"
Chris Breier © 2016

I sketched this scene in my pocket sketchbook, and then returned a few weeks later to paint an acrylic version of it. Most of the painting was completed onsite but I finished it in my studio because it started to drizzle, water-based paints don't work so well in the rain.

Autumn Trees, Glen Park

Glen Park, Autumn
8”x10”
Acrylic on Gessobord
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is for sale, click to bid in the auction.

We had a couple of unusually warm days late last fall and I spent the day taking pictures outdoors. This is a view of Glen Park from across the street, where the parking lot is on Glen Avenue. What makes this painting work is the contrast between the dark tree trunks and the brilliant colors of the Autumn foliage. The sky was initially painted with a transparent wash of light blue acrylic. Towards the end of the painting I used an opaque light blue to cut back into the shapes of the trees.

Bridge

Bridge
Watercolor
2.5” x 3.5”
Chris Breier © 2015

Bid on the original painting.
This is the bridge that crosses Ellicott Creek, next to Glen Park. In the warm summer months kids like to fish along the edges of the creek, but this was a school day and it was too cold outside to play hooky-so there's no fisherman in this painting.

The bridge was the tricky part, I wanted to imply the detail of the stone work and concrete without overworking it. I emphasized the abstract quality of the shadows and the vegetation along the edge of the creek.