April Reflections Lake Brome

April Reflections, Lake Brome
16 x 20 inches, oil/canvas

                               

This is the view from our cottage in the Easter Townships in Quebec in early spring.  I find the beauty of the mountains and the lake breathtaking, and I never tire of looking at it.  There will more paintings of Lake Brome to come.

Below are a few images that show how the painting evolves from the initial under painting to the final work.  The under painting is an essential element of my painting process.  It allows me to quickly visualise the relationship of composition, shape and tone.

The canvas is toned, wiped down and then large shape are quickly drawn in.  The clouds are painted in with a broad gestural stroke to get the feeling of how they sweep across the sky.

Here is the finished under painting.  The clouds and their reflections in the water are more resolved This under painting is an initial blue print for the colour that will follow once the surface is dry.

This is the first layer of colour.  The whole canvas is worked up with colour.  When it is dry a second layer of colour is laid in.  Below is the finished painting.  The colours and shapes have greater detail and they have  evolved from the initial under painting.  Painting clouds reflecting into the water was a great challenge!