Cathedral Falls

Cathedral Falls   5" x 8 "    Pastel    © Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $85


Day 22 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, September 2017

Cathedral Falls is always an unexpected pleasure in every season. This is one of those roadside treasures that can be found on Route 60 near Gauley Bridge, WV.  We parked in a tiny lot just off the road, where the falls can easily be seen as the water flows into the New River. 

 By now, if you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that my husband and I love waterfalls, especially after a heavy rain.  We have often wondered just how many people drive by, never knowing what real beauty lies within their midst .

The last time we were there, I did this sketch of the falls. Today seemed like a good day to paint this scene from that watercolor sketch. I hope we get to visit there before the fall season is over. 

This is the first time that I've underpainted on an orange toned surface. It's really pretty ugly in that beginning stage to establish the values. In the next frame, I began to add some local color and then further developed the painting by adding the water and working to give shape to the trees. I'm working on UArt 800 sanded pastel paper that allows several layers of pastel to hold to the surface.

r

Glade Creek

Glade Creek    4" x 8"    Acrylic   ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $85

Day 6 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days, September 2017. 

As I stood on the bridge, Glade Creek was sending rushing water under the bridge, past the mill and on to the waterfalls below.  Glade Creek runs through Babcock State Park in West Virginia where the Glade Creek Grist Mill is located. (See blog on September 1, 2017)

I grew up in Dille, West Virginia with a creek running in front of our house. This scene reminded me of the times that it would rain so heavy that it seemed to touch the bottom of the bridge leading to our house. It was moving so fast that I would actually feel like I could lose my balance while looking down through the spaces between the boards. As a child, I believed that the water would never go above that level.  The sound was actually soothing as I would sleep. 

In June of 2015, flash flooding in West Virginia took out the bridge where I lived. This was when flooding affected people over a large part of the state. As a child, I never imagined so much devastation could have ever occurred.