Falls Twp Park quick sketch before work

I had to be in work at 7:00 this morning so I had time for a 15-20 minute sketch. I used a 3.5"x5" piece of 300lb watercolor paper that was primed with grey gesso. I have a box of these in different sizes just for this purpose. At 6:30  I had paintable light even with the heavily overcast  sky, and it helps that this park is only 5 minutes from work so it makes it convenient to get a quick sketch in before heading to work.
The lights from the parking lot in the background added a bit of sparkle to the scene.

                                                                                           

Falls Twp. Park  11x14 oil 

This is the finished painting using the sketch and what I remember from this morning.

A little side story from this morning, when I arrived in the parking lot a white duck came running over looking for food from me which I didn't have.  I'm trying to hurry taking the paintbox and supplies out of my bag and all the while he is nipping at my hand and has his head buried in the bag looking for food. 

Moonlit Nocturne, Core Creek Park, 11x14 oil painting

                                       
Moon Over the Lake 11x14 oil

This was painted from one of the sketches I did on Sept 20 at Core Creek Park during the Harvest Moon.

  When attempting to paint at night a lot of my time  on location is spent just looking at and memorizing what is in front of me. After I lay out my paint and have brushes and everything ready I turn the light out on my easel and let my eyes adjust to the dark.  When my eyes have adjusted I start comparing the values of each object in the scene to see what is darker, lighter or the same value. I'm actually painting the scene in my mind before I pick up a brush, so when I start to paint I have the confidence to paint what I already know.