Just finished this one–an antique shop along the Potomac near the bridge at Point of Rocks. Mostly Daniel Smith Van Dyck Brown and Prussian blue with some warmth from Transparent Pyrrole Orange and yellow ochre.
Author: coreyaber
Frozen Potomac river
The river has frozen in a long of places. This is a view of the Virginia shore from Point of Rocks in Maryland. 6×6 watercolor.
Private Property—Potomac River
First painting of 2018. I came across this scene on one of my hikes along the Potomac river a month ago.
Sun through the trees
I liked the effect of sunlight coming through the trees on a hill along the river. There were so many trees, so I tried to simplify a bit to focus on the effect
Quick sky study
Quick study of the sunset recently in my small homemade sketchbook
Another Potomac river study
I am planning to do a series of very large Potomac river landscapes, so am trying some some different compositions.
Finished Hazy Potomac River Piece
For this scene the thing that most interested me was the white buoys in the distance on the right. I saw them from far off and tried to get as close as I could before I ran out of land to walk on. A little mystery on an otherwise calm afternoon.
Hazy Potomac River work in progress
The other day I got out for a lunchtime hike along the Potomac. It was a bit eerie being the only out with a hazy river. I liked the warm colors in the distance and the very cold appearance of the foreground. Still a lot more to go on the the web of trees and branches and the rocks on the ground. This one is all ultramarine blue, burnt umber, and yellow ochre.
Potomac River Pencil Drawing
Last weekend we went for a hike along the Potomac. I took a bunch of photos of some rocky land jutting out into the river. There are a lot of interesting compositions to explore for some larger paintings. Here’s a pencil study of one I’m considering.
Delaware sunset
I found this composition sketched out in my book from over the summer, so thought I’d finish it off. My reference photo had a giant utility pole in it. I resisted the temptation, and left it out of this. This one was done with Prussian blue, nickel azo yellow, and transparent pyrrol orange. Prussian blue and transparent pyrrol orange are good complements of equal strength, so mix a rich black that can be easily tinted. The Daniel Smith version of the orange is really more like a vermilion or cadmium scarlet, but without the opacity. I am finding it to be a useful color.
Corey Aber 