Scwy Isaf Clyn Gwyn, Pastel by Jenny Keal

If you have tried painting water in watercolour you will know how difficult it is to work negatively around the white paper to create the highlights or how tricky it is to lay the wet in wet reflections at just the right time.

Painting water in pastel is much simpler because you can lay the light over the dark. This means you can create far more intricate and subtle effects in the falling water and reflections can be created by softening the pastel in a vertical direction with your fingers.

This painting is of Scwd Isaf Clyn Gwyn, just south of the Brecon Beacons in ‘waterfall country’ around Ystradfelte. It is a spectular series of falls in a Tolkeinesque gorge. The painting was built up in stages, keeping the background fall soft and misty to convey a sense of distance. The warmer colours, stronger tones and sharper detail in the foreground emphasise this effect.

You can see this painting, along with many others at The Wyeside Art Centre in Builth Wells. as David and I have an exhibition on there for the rest of the summer. Contact them for opening times

Please use the comments box if you have any specific questions about how the painting was created.