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.

Island Park Entrance

Island Park Entrance
Ink and watercolor on paper
5" x 7"
Chris Breier © 2016

The original painting is for sale. I didn't have much time to complete this sketch of Island Park. The sun was setting and the scene would change dramatically as soon as the sun sets below the trees. My brother and I were on our way to pick up dinner and it was getting late. I walked around the park looking for subject matter to paint and I settled on this location where the path curves off into the distance. I started with the quick pencil sketch to make sure the proportions and the placement of the shapes was correct. When I was satisfied with the drawing I inked it with a micron pen and immediately put in some washes of color in the sky.

As you can see from the winter coat and the glove on my left hand, this painting was from April of this year. The cold weather didn't stop the mosquitoes from buzzing around my head. The good thing about the cold weather is the extra clothing provides a lot of extra pockets to stuff art supplies into!

Trail at Walton Woods

Trail at Walton Woods
Watercolor and ink on paper
5” x 7”
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is for sale. Fall is a good time of year to for painting lakes, I enjoy creating the mirror like reflection of the colorful leaves on the water. I managed to work in a small touch of red on the left, it’s an effective contrast to the tuft of green foliage on the right.

Autumn Leaves

autumn leaves
Watercolor and ink on paper
5” x 7”
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is for sale. I took a more abstract approach with this painting of Lake Audubon, I exaggerated the colors and used a looser approach with the drawing. I enjoy listening to podcasts and music while I paint and you may recognize the title of this painting as a jazz standard.

Evergreens

Evergreens
Watercolor on paper
5” x 7”
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is for sale. While most of the trees have brightly colored leaves or lost their leaves at this time of year, the evergreens in this painting add a nice splash of green to the landscape. I especially like the contrast of the bare branches in the foreground with the bright greens of the grass and the evergreen trees across the lake. I also decided to make the surface of the water appear more calm than it actually was.