wild one

For several days I've been looking at "Arboretum Winter Color" hanging on the wall above my desk (a good time to look at it is when I'm on the phone). I don't see anything I want to change and am enjoying all I love about it, remembering the wild areas of the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle.

This piece is 25 x 25 inches and when painting that large in pastel, I work from the top down with no jumping around until the details at the very end. I kept the reference photo (in color and in grayscale) as well as the little color study (sold on Daily Paintworks) beside my easel. Now I'm anxious to see this one framed.