Laying in Vibrant Transparent Colour

    I've looked at my initial drawing on the canvas for over a few weeks now. Not that I was stumped, there is  however sometimes an element of fear in proceeding if you've had a creative interruption. That wasn't the case here, just other artistic commitments and a nice weekend camping trip! My husband and I had intentions to paint Plein Air, brought all the gear and instead stared out the camper window and watched contentedly at the rain come down. Sometimes a creative rest is best!
   So the next stage for me is always to lay in the transparent colours that make up the dark and local colours. These are the Transparent colours  I used: Azo Yellow, Indian Yellow, Transparent Red Iron Oxide, Azo Green, Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue. Even at this stage I'm trying to keep the  brightest and purist  hues around the focal point. In the foreground grass area I blended, softened and grayed down (mingled complimentary hues together) to keep it toned down. Working the darkest darks in areas needing it. I also added a few more logs or 'shapes' for interest and to accentuate the focal point more.
    I work Alla Prima always because I love the soft edges and the way the paint mingles together. Saying that, there are often times of interruption and I have no choice but to let it dry before finishing. When starting up another session on a dry piece, I give my painting a very thin coat of 50/50 mixture of gamsol + walnut oil, wiping off any excess. This allows your brushes to move across the canvas and blend easily like working wet into wet once again. The next step is to add opaque colours ranging from semi--transparent to very opaque in the brightest areas.