Still Water

"Still Water", 30" x 40", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

Here is another one of the water paintings I have been working on. This painting was actually begun two years ago. The basic composition was set based on cattails growing in my neighbor's pond. But I had never been satisfied with the water, so it had been stored away in my studio.

It seemed a perfect piece to continue my experimenting with painting water, especially as it was large. The backbone of the painting was already there, the color range was already set, I was free to just work on the water. I painted additional layers to convey the sense of still water, the flatness and the rippling reflections.