Clutha River

6" x 8"
oil on panel


This is the finished painting based on Start 29. I'm really glad I did that study first,  it made a big difference to have some of those problems worked out beforehand. There are so many different values and hues of blue in this scene, it helped to think them out first. I also employed that method of premixing the paint on my palette—just for the water and sky—and again it took a lot of the guesswork out.

I almost didn't include the ducks, which are in the reference photo. But when I finished the scene I felt that it lacked something. If I was Bob Ross I would paint a giant tree right smack in the foreground, but I'm not that brave. The ducks aren't a major compositional element, but they add a little warmth to the scene.

Progress photos:

The sketch - burnt sienna on a plain white board.

A slightly different palette for me. From left: titanium white; permanent yellow; yellow ochre; permanent orange; geranium lake; alizarin crimson; burnt sienna; phthalo blue; cobalt blue; ultramarine blue.

Putting in the lightest and darkest areas.

Pre-mixing some of the main areas: sky, water, tree shadows, cliff face.

Working on the water. Here's where I'm glad I did a study first and worked it out.

Starting to put it in some details.

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