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Springstead creek is one of the places I mentioned in my last art update.

Springstead creek is a small tributary creek that feeds Hogtown creek. There is limited access as it makes it's way through neighborhoods on its way to Hogtown Creek. I was fortunate to get access via a friend's back yard, a short trail and a steep bank. I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this urban spot. This section of the creek runs through a steep ravine and light comes through in streaks of filtered, soft shadows and direct light. It's contaminated. That's no surprise to anyone in Gainesville. There was a super fund site just up hill from the head water of this creek that contaminated the creek bottom and although it was years ago, run off from streets, parking lots and fertilizer keeps this and the main creeks contaminated. “Springstead Creek is a tributary of Hogtown Creek. The creek starts just west of Rawlings Elementary School. It flows through the North Main Industrial Park and continues through Pine Haven and Creekside, behind Stephen Foster Elementary, and through Cottage Grove before joining Hogtown Creek in the Forest Creek neighborhood. The creek drains an area that includes a superfund site currently in the process of remediation.” From The Creeks of Gainesville website

I have access through a private property to a section of the creek that has pretty high cliffs. On the first day I went there I was unprepared to sketch so I could only do some phone photos. I don't usually like to paint directly from photos because the darks and lights are not really what you see. So I like to alter the photo and use that as the reference or I'll make some sketchs from the photos and paint from the sketches. Here is one of the first sketches. I did this from memory in a few minutes while working on a non-painting project. I had a 9 x 12 mixed media sketchbook handy and some black and white fluid acrylic. I used my gloved fingers and a Popsicle stick. There is a short video of close ups of this painting.

9 x 12 acrylic on Canson mixed media paper. When working from memory like this, I can see what sticks in my mind about the composition. Here, I'm remembering the spiral effect of the light and shadow. I also cropped the foreground out. This was not intentional, it's the results of working fast without a plan or reference.

I can see from this painting, that the aspect of the scene that impressed me the the most was the spiral effect of the light and shadow. I exaggerate it in the painting. 

This is one of the altered photos from that day. This is a good example of how photos aren't good to paint from unless you use several different exposures. If the sky is right, It's hard see into the shadows. If you can see into the shadows the sky gets overexposed.

 Here is another tiny painting of the same remembered scene of Springstead done later while testing a medium to use with oil pastels to make them dry. (Still working on that) When doing these quick tests I often conjure up an image of something I'm working on or want to start. It helps me think of the subject in a subconscious way.  There is more to come in this series.

Springstead creek, 4 x 4, oil pastel on multi Media board.

3 X3 oil pastels on multi media board 

Here's an even faster one testing watersoluble ink for sketching in pens, markers and brushpen 4 x 6. Since this post, I went back to the location in August and did 75% of a 9 x 12 acrylic.

Here are some of the stages it went through

This is almost done. The bank has been raised and the tree on the right added. I didn't want too much green so I left the warmer yellow in on the right to give some warm cool contrast


on This when I thought it was done. I wanted more light so I lowered the bank. But after a while I didn't like it. Too straight and off the page. Below is the actual finished painting sold in 2026 at the Spring arts festival I added a tree on the Right and far left, add highlights to the main tree center left and light to the top of the bank, and a small light streak to the right foreground extending one that was there. Add a dark line to the left cliff edge to creat a highlight. I emphasized the “steps” on the back center cliff to better lead the eye.

 One of the ways I make sketches while on a walk is using ink to make value and color temperature marks and shapes to make the composition. The black in these sketches is an Elegant Writer marker. When wet, the color separates into green and red. When I got home I experimented with adding the warm yellow ink call Ancient Copper in a fountain pen. It also, is a water soluble ink and activates easily. I'm working on gessoed paper so it's not very absorbent. That helps keep the ink on the surface and not stain the paper which makes it easy to lift off color back to the white paper. When I use Elegant Writer I always use the brush pen to flow out the ink to make lighter values.

Location: Sweetwater Creek between the duck pond and Paynes prairie, Water soluble Ink marker and pen. 4.5 x 6 on gessoed paper

SThe second painting below is the same area further down stream.