Today I decided to revisit the Sepulveda Dam study I had done en plein air back in the spring. I really liked my start, but felt that the water was a jumble and the shadows were weak.

I kept the yellow orange hue near the horizon that I originally had used for the entire sky. It seemed a fitting color to represent the San Fernando Valley's ever present smog, but there was a blue sky above and a lot of the sky color was reflected in the water.

I darkened the shadows of the dam pillars, but I kept the sunlit highlights that hit the top of the bulwark of the dam since the sunlight was shining from behind the dam. Then I cleaned up the shapes and colors in the water and reinforced the reflections caste by the pillars. I also added some more vibrant color and ripples to the foreground water.

I like the shapes created by the two forms of the dam and odd angles to one another.

I'm very happy with the results. This little 8"x6" study is now a painting!!