Sunday 13 February 2011

Reflections

 Rennies Mill River in summer
7 x 9   acrylics


Rennies Mill River winds its way through the city of St. John's and became one of the rivers that I have been tracing and recording last summer and producing a small series around.

This more intimate view is a combination of life studies and photographs, capturing the fast flow of this shallow section.  Shimmers of copper and gold reflect off rocks in the river bed and the values changes subtly and dramatically as the water moves around larger rocks or turns in the river.  The hot summer sun makes a glaring reflection in the centre of the river as the water breaks it up and sends off ripples of light.

Studying reflections and how they are created is very helpful to the painting process. When you understand why something looks as it does, it becomes easier to work out how to recreate it on canvas. Wikipedia's section on reflections is a good starting point.

Reflections of sunlight in moving water are seen beautifully in this short video clip.

5 comments:

Sarah said...

you have got it there, well done

vivien said...

seconded :>) you've really got the movement and dazzle

Jeanette Jobson said...

Thanks Sarah and Vivien. I really enjoy trying water surfaces and movement. Its difficult but there's a pattern to the movement and reflection, that once figured out, makes it much easier to get down on canvas.

Laura Frankstone said...

Wonderfully subtle color and shapes.

Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen said...

Lovely Jeanette...they can be truly mesmerizing, refelctions..
Ronell