Under Bridges

It looks like my latest trend is painting under bridges. And I'm still having fun painting with the palette knife more than I have in the past. But now I'm worried that playing with knives under bridges qualifies me as a troll or something.

Here's one I did 2 weeks ago looking across the Delaware river from Stockton, NJ to Center Bridge, Pa:

"Under Stockton Bridge"
8x10 oil on panel

Yesterday I moved a few miles up the Delaware River to Bull's Island. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be outside painting, or to be outdoors doing anything! The first hints of autumn were in the air. This view is looking across the Delaware to Lumberville, Pa. If the bridge looks strangely out of scale, it's a pedestrian bridge built on the piers remaining from a larger bridge. Now it's a suspension bridge just wide enough for 2 people to walk abreast - it must look strange to anyone who's not familiar with this place:

"Towards Lumberville"
11x14 oil on panel

Here are some closeups showing the knife work a little better:



There's no knife work in these building, but I was happy that I was able to paint them so loosely. I've been too fussy when painting buildings lately, and I think I was finally able to loosen up. The trick is to indicate just enough detail without going overboard. You need to get the main lines and shapes fairly accurate, but leave something for the imagination. The white building here is the famous Black Bass Hotel in Lumberville, Pa: