I was painting with the Missouri Plein Air Painters at Castlewood State Park.  It was a unusually warm day for early January.  High, thin clouds stretched across most of the sky.  Sunlight was scarce, and shadows very faint. 

The landscape in front of me was a very typical Missouri creek.  Coarse gravel extends across its full width (60-80 feet).  The stone is many shades of light brown color, and from a distance is very light in value.  Little vegetation grows in the creek bed as the gravel is typically 2 to 6 feet deep.  On the outside edge of the creek, deep pools form sporadically.  The pools take shape during high water.  During a prolonged dry spell, these pools are often the only sign of water in the creek. 

The light-colored creek bed caught my attention.  The shape meandering through the valley was very interesting.