Sunday Evening at Lake Ontario

Sunday Evening at Lake Ontario
Watercolor and ink on paper
8"x10"
Chris Breier © 2016

On this particular Sunday evening, my brother and I packed a couple of sandwiches and drove to Lake Ontario to relax and to stop at a road side stand for tomatoes and sweet corn.

I brought my painting supplies with me in case I felt like painting. I started this watercolor late in the day, so I quickly set up my gear and got to work. I sketched the overall basic shapes with pencil, and then inked it with a micron pen.

While I was painting, my brother pointed out that a woman had been looking in my direction with curiosity. She stopped by to see what I was working on and we talked for awhile. It turned out she was from the South and was interested in watercolors, it sounded as if she had tried them in the past. She had a few questions about my technique. For example, I painted the blue sky right over the drawing of the tree. She asked how that would work–"Wouldn't the blue show through when I paint the branches?".

My outdoor painting setup.

It does, but the color of the tree is dark enough to cover over the lighter shade of blue, and the blue would help to neutralize the warm colors of the tree. I explained that it's easier to paint a sky without having to paint around all of the branches, or use masking fluid to preserve the shape of the tree.

We also discussed the cold Buffalo winters, driving in snow, and the upcoming Celtic festival which was being held at the park. When I paint outside I often get to meet people that I normally wouldn't have the chance to talk to, and that's a nice break from working in the studio. The original painting, Sunday Evening at Lake Ontario is for sale.