Nature Meditations

At last the grey melancholic days of winter are over. This morning on my way to the pond, I noticed the magnolia tree once again in bloom giving unconditionally and igniting an inner smile.  

Inspired by nature's beauty, I painted a scene using the chalk dust that I had collected when sharpening the pastel pencil, for the initial tonal values.  I used a soft watercolor brush to apply very small amounts and then used the pencil to add sharper lines for precision.  Lastly, I added a bit of white for the lightest values.