Lake Reflections: Light and Colour

Lake Reflections: Light and Colour 

30" x 30" - acrylic on canvas 

I started this painting over a year ago, liking stages 1 and 2 but stopped at stage 3, because I was not sure exactly how I wanted to finish it. I liked parts but knew that other parts needed work.  In the last couple of weeks I have been trying to complete a few paintings that have been lingering, and once again turned my attention to this one. Stage 4 shows what I did with the trees and their colouring.

I finally concluded that I needed to balance the drama of the coloured reflections with a similar dark value in the rest of the water, which I did. It made pictorial sense, and I am very happy with the result. Cheers!

stage 4

stage 3

stage 2

stage 1

Radiant River

Radiant River

30" x 40" - acrylic on canvas - sold

I finished this painting about a week ago after working on it over many weeks. Here is how it evolved.

1-pretty basic at this point

2-it took a long time to get it here - but it felt boring.

3-with nothing to lose I added lots of vertical marks connecting the trees (on the right) with the reflections and began to turn colours into abstract shapes; started too like it and could then see how to proceed - yeah!

As the reflections took on greater abstract form and began to project, I realized the need to restrain myself and other areas of the painting - pushing those areas 'back' by 's pushed back other areas by softening edges, using a mushy brushstroke and muted colours.  At one point I played with a bit of foreground in the lower left and right corners but finally took them out, creating a much stronger sense of asymmetrical balance. 

I am really happy with the final painting - and the sense of serenity and peacefulness I think it conveys.