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Washington's Crossing Bridge over the Delaware River

My sister snapped the photo I used  for this painting last summer. he view is from the New Jersey side, looking north. The wooded banks of the river provide relief from hot, humid afternoons. The bridge is a steel truss structure, first built in 1904 . It has had some renovations since then and is still in use. The bridge deck is only 15 feet wide: one 7.5 foot lane in each direction, making it a challenge to cross. The deck is chain link, so the river can be seen when driving over it, which is quite disconcerting to the uninitiated. No-one likes to meet a big car or truck in the middle. It is a registered historic place and much beloved (or hated) by local people. This is where Washington crossed the Delaware at Christmas time to successfully raid a camp of Hessian and English soldiers (sorry, Brits), that became a turning point of the Revolutionary War. I used mostly granulating pigments on Daler-Rowney paper to get a feeling of hazy distance. I also would like to give a shout out to Australia's Joe Cartwright for his method of painting rocks under water, which was something I've struggled with. He has a great video on the subject.
My sister snapped the photo I used for this painting last summer. he view is from the New Jersey side, looking north. The wooded banks of the river provide relief from hot, humid afternoons. The bridge is a steel truss structure, first built in 1904 . It has had some renovations since then and is still in use. The bridge deck is only 15 feet wide: one 7.5 foot lane in each direction, making it a challenge to cross. The deck is chain link, so the river can be seen when driving over it, which is quite disconcerting to the uninitiated. No-one likes to meet a big car or truck in the middle. It is a registered historic place and much beloved (or hated) by local people. This is where Washington crossed the Delaware at Christmas time to successfully raid a camp of Hessian and English soldiers (sorry, Brits), that became a turning point of the Revolutionary War. I used mostly granulating pigments on Daler-Rowney paper to get a feeling of hazy distance. I also would like to give a shout out to Australia's Joe Cartwright for his method of painting rocks under water, which was something I've struggled with. He has a great video on the subject.


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I like the crisp precision of the bridge against the otherwise loose landscape. And Cartwright is a brilliant artist! Long educational videos. -Generous.

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