On Friday, I spent the day painting the Thomas Jefferson Memorial from the Tidal Basin. Visiting my brother, Tim, who is a Junior at American University, I enjoyed a windy day of plein air in our nations capital. My intent was to capture the Cherry Blossoms, but they were swept away in a violent storm the day before I set up shop.

After the jump, a very American recap of my day painting in Washington DC.

Beginning with the customary yellow under drawing, in paint.

A secondary round with orange to define the boundaries of the key visual elements – the tree, the water and the memorial.

Another round of yellows, scattered about haplessly like the… no, no, I won’t do it, no politics here.

Red, straight from the tube, further outlining the composition.

Cycle! Cycle! Yellow.

Finishing the primary triad, mimicking the color cycle from my collage paintings, blue.

Jumping into green territory, laying flat planes of color throughout with an emphasis on de-emphasizing the rigidity of mark making.

A flat, almost lifeless purple to establish the reflective shadows… as well as some outlines and a sea of mustaches.

Finishing a dense outline.

What painting would be complete without some pepto pink?

A deep dark blue, making the closest part of the image the darkest.

Adding some leaves, a truly photographic realistic painting thus far.

Lightening up the sidewalk and memorial.

Adding the railing, as well as the railing shadow… establishing the final source of light – always a critical moment in plein air painting.

Refining the blues, touches throughout.

A nice, minty green.

And completed. It was truly enjoyable, getting back to my on-location, painting outside roots. This was the first outdoor painting I have done since I broke my leg last year. Stay tuned for a big announcement, shows on the way… I had a blast in DC, spending time with Tim, Glenn, James; and meeting Kim, who dug this painting, on the train ride home.