Autumn Reflections

This was an interesting piece to paint as there was no skyline. Most of my work is very traditional in the way it is presented with the sky usually the top third of the painting. It is something I am looking to move away from as it can be a bit restrictive and is also more of a photographic rather than a painting composition. This was a challenge as the hill had to appear at an angle without using a skyline as guidance.

Painting the trees was actually a bit boring and looking back I think it would have been better to create the illusion of the number of trees rather than paint each one individually. Fewer trees with more detail and shadow would have worked better.

The colours of the painting I lie very much, particularly the autumnal colours of the earth which was something I spent a long time on. The colours did not translate as well to the water though. The muddiness of the water is realistic but what I should have done is take more artistic license and use the colours from the earth in the water more.

The rock formation at the front of the piece and the impact on the surrounding water I was very pleased with. I like drawing rock, it is very interesting when you look closely at a piece of rock. Long gone are the days when I assumed all rocks were grey!

The reflection of the building could have been done better. I get what I was trying to do by making the reflection so much taller than the building but it should be more of a mirror image an with water that still there should be more detail in the reflection too.

The photograph of this painting lets it down a bit. It actually looks better on the wall than it does on the screen. I like this one but I don’t love it.