Day 10 of the Strada Challenge

Anchored Roots, 5″ x 7″ sketchbook

It was a busy day and I had planned on doing a still life indoors after I got back from shopping in town. It was such a beautiful evening when I got home that I just had to go down to the lake and paint. It took awhile to put away all the groceries and our CSA farm share, so I got a late start down at the lake.

The sun was just about a half an hour above the horizon. The summer is waning and the sun is setting earlier than I’m used to. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get far with a painting so I opted to do a sketch of a scene that intrigued me.  The low sun angle was creating beautiful cast shadows and the smoke in the air was casting a warm glow over the landscape. I took a photo and then did a pencil sketch to become familiar with the log and its root protrusions.

Tomorrow is forecast to be the same as today and I’m hoping to get back down to the lake and do a pastel of the scene. I’ll start earlier and get the composition down in big shapes and then add the finishing touches during the golden sunset hour.

Photo of Flathead Lake shoreline.

Anchored Roots photo resource