The Devil’s Bridge

This was the painting that started to give me confidence as an artist. Mainly because I’d attempted it before and royally screwed it up. When I went back to it with more experience I did a much better job.

It was a hard photo to paint as the image swims or sinks on the execution of the reflection and that was not an easy reflection to paint in. There was also a lot of detail obscured by foliage so I had to use my imagination to work out what shape the bridge actually was. It didn’t help that the photo was very dark and it was hard to tell what was bridge and what was tree.

The reflections of the trees work very well. It isn’t an exact mirror image and that makes it look more realistic. The reflections in the water are greener and shinier. It makes the water look like water rather than a few upside down trees.

The back of the water however is a bit more problematic as it shows more movement than it should. There’s nothing in the picture to indicate that the water isn’t still and because of this the reflection should have gone further into the painting with less surface movement.

The reflection of the rock under the bridge is not quite right. It wasn’t a mirror image in the photo as it was at an angle but I don’t think it should go down quite so far.

All things considered though, this is a pretty good painting. It’s one of the best depictions of the Devil’s Bridge I’ve seen too.