Where there’s water, there’s a painting to be painted! I love trying to capture those transparent hues that convey flowing water in sunlight. Woodland rivers in autumn, winter and through to early spring are particularly good times to paint as the bare trees allow more light to shine through into those quiet peaceful woodland rivers. This is a subject I keep coming back to as there is so much to explore.
I painted a series of small works along this hidden river that runs through right). Dappled light was shining down through large trees in the midmorning light, just reaching a few pebbles. There were patches of light glowing in the shallow water revealing beautiful colours: green golden browns and dancing lines of yellow refracted light. I used the wrong end of the brush to scrape wriggly lines over the water to indicate the subtler lines of refracted light in the water. The clear pale blue sky was also reflected in the small thin ripples on the surface. There is so much colour, light and movement to lose yourself in when observing and painting a river scene, it really is mesmerising. I would recommend having a go.
