Blossom on the Water

This was a challenging piece for two reasons. The reflection in the water and the mist on the mountain.

The reflections were difficult because being on still water they had to match exactly (and they don’t). I managed to get the principle that the reflections would be darker than the mountains but the actual shape of them isn’t a replica of the mountains. Which is a pity as the overall feel of the piece is quite atmospheric.

The mist was my first time understanding the difference between opaque and transparent whites. Up till this painting I had pretty much stuck with Titanium white which is a brilliant paint for covering up mistakes and blocking sections out but which is far too opaque to create mist. So I worked with Zinc white and it was a good learn for future paintings.

There’s too much attempts at detail in this, particularly the trees in the reflection which I think would have worked better painted more loosely. That whole middle section didn’t work as well as I’d hoped.

In retrospect I wish the blossom trees had been more upright and defined. They look more like blossom bushes. I really enjoyed painting blossom though as I love the pastel pink on the dark water. I think I’ll be tackling blossom again soon.

Roanna Carleton Taylor