Cienega Creek Bridge

My first try at sketching a bridge. I enjoyed this subject very much!  This bridge is about 30 minutes southeast from central Tucson in the Cienega Creek Nature Preserve in Vail, AZ.  There are two bridges crossing the wash there.  One is the railway bridge and the other is this bridge which is Colossal Cave Road.  It's a pretty looking bridge with a wide under-structure making for a great sketching subject.  The view of the bridge has the road winding towards Colossal Cave and the mountains in the distance.  

I did a few passes at this ... first starting with my usual pencil sketch and then working through a couple of tries using only a pencil drawing (no ink).  My first passes all tend to have the same issue: too tight and too exact rather than the loose expressive interpretation that I crave.  I have a strong feeling that I will return to this subject often!

Here’s a larger version on 9x12 inch Arches CP watercolor 140lb paper and it feels tighter to me and not as spontaneous as the sketch.