Union Pacific Bridge at Anza Narrows

On Thursday of our Paint out, the weather could not have been any better. There was no wind to speak of, and the sun was out, and everything looked clean and sparkling after the evening rain. This old railroad bridge (which is still in use) crosses over a beautiful area which is now a preserve and park, Anza Narrows and Martha McClain Park. There is so much to paint from any direction, but since the subject of the week was bridges, I decided to paint this beautiful one. There must be a rail road service area, along the side of the tracks, because there was a train stopped and parked for quite some time, which made it perfect to add the train engines to the painting. This is a 6x12 plein air pastel.

In the afternoon, after I walked around and talked to some of the other painters, and eat a snack. After a short rest I decided to paint the rocks that are around the underside of the bridge. The weather had turned warm, and the shade of the bridge was welcomed. One downside was that the first time the trains came overhead, it was a bit un- nerving, as they made quite a loud sound, and went by really fast, especially the metro links, I was glad the trains stayed on the tracks. In deciding what to paint, I noted the light on these huge rocks really caught my eye, so I quickly began painting, as the light was moving quite quickly. I think I do my best work when I have to work fast, which is what I did with this one. I do like the final outcome, and chose this painting to display in the final show at the Riverside Arts Project Gallery.
The PAAR paint out final Exhibition is at the Riverside Arts Project Gallery, in the Riverside Plaza mall. The paintings will be on exhibit until May 5, 2010. Please go by and see the show, as it is a beautiful one.