Near La Gacilly, Brittany

Near La Gacilly, Brittany

24" x 30" - acrylic on canvas - $450

While travelling in Brittany last May, we drove through and stayed in an area near the small 'commune' (think village with a population of 3000+) of La Gacilly. One of our stops to stretch our legs was near this small creek, and I took a number of photos, liking the contrast between the various horizontal 'bands' (of water/reflections, shoreline, land and sky) and the verticals/diagonals of the trees cutting through the space. As the painting evolved the lily pads and reflections in the water became the focus. Below are some of the stages as the work progressed. Good memories and good fun.

Splash

Water Reflections: Splash
24" x 18"  acrylic on canvas  

This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

This is another painting that was almost finished when I stopped working on it several months ago, and one of the canvases I returned to last week. The title came easily as it names exactly what you see - a big splash in water. It was inspired by a detail from a photo of reflections in a water - a subject I find fascinating especially when removed from the original context - allowing for lots of painterly play and abstraction.

Moody Blues

Moody Blues

24" x 36"  - acrylic on canvas  

This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

I have been fascinated by the shapes and patterns of 'reflections' in water for quite some time, and take photos of them whenever I can. Once back in the studio I play with those images on the computer, isolating and cropping to find interesting abstract compositions. Once found I reduce, eliminate, exaggerate the image through a series of sketches and then continue that process on the canvas. This painting is the result of that kind of process, and for once - I stopped before it looked too polished! As someone who loves colour, it was a challenge to work with a limited and muted palette - but I love the subtlety of colours and the way the blue, green and violets paint hues muddied when they intermixed with the charcoal and pastel used to draw the surface patterning.  

More Reflections on Water

This is the second abstract painting inspired by reflections on water. I started with a detail from a photo (posted yesterday) I took at a park in Berlin two years ago and then played. As you can see (if comparing) different palette and different brushwork - but the same compositional concern for balance, rhythm, variety and dominance is there.
I quite like this one too and find it visually intriguing the more I look at it - like look at water.

Water Reflection Abstract Two

16" x 16" acrylic in canvas

This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.