Plein Air Paintings from Peninsula

A friend and I visited Cuyahoga National Park last week and we enjoyed viewing the waterfalls and the rapids in downtown Peninsula. When we were deciding what to paint the forest and water seemed a bit too "green" to capture in any organized way. The sun was not shining so there was no pronounced shadow and light areas and the foliage, although beautiful, lacked any warmth to bring out the greens. I thought the rooftops of the small town, especially the white church steeple, would make a nice painting so I painted that. Another unique feature of the town, which is nestled in the center of the park, is a historic railroad. I had never painted a crossing gate before so this was a great opportunity to  try a plein air painting of that as well.

The sun had come out by the time we set up our easels and there was some nice light on this gorgeous spring day.

 Peninsula Vista

16" x 16"

 Peninsula Depot

6" x 8"