This is the first stage of the painting. I have already put a transparent wash of color on and allowed it to dry. I now have sketched out the placement of objects, In this case the mountains. I am not at all concerned with details at this point.I also place Fineline tape to where the lake is going to be. It will make it much more easy to find later.

This is the block in stage. I have predetermined a limited color scheme.This is very important,as a few well chosen colors will be much easier to look at than a chaotic mass of all the colors of the Rainbow. But for the most part,at this time I am only concerned with the value relationships.

Further along I am able to get paint on that has less solvent in it . I can deepen the darks and for the lights I am just wiping color out. I try not to use too much white at this point. I now remove the tape to reveal the lake.Working in this manner makes it much easier to make any necessary compositional changes.

I am now developing the details and getting slightly more color in. It is easier to add color than to be overwhelmed with it in the beginning. I am not so concerned with my reference any more. This is a departure point, I wiil now let the painting lead me.I am trying to find my inner vision, where feelings supersede over thought. This hopefully will result in a more artistic image rather than just being a copy of my reference. Adding emotion to a painting is what seperates artists from painters!

This is the final version . I sometimes will put the painting in a frame and then add the final touches.