Roanna Carleton Taylor

  This was a challenging piece for two reasons. The reflection in the water and the mist on the mountain. The reflections were difficult because being on still water they had to match exactly (and they don’t). I managed to get the principle that the reflections would be darker than the mountains but the actual shape of them isn’t a replica of the mountains. Which is a pity as the overall feel of the piece is quite atmospheric. The mist was my first t i me understanding the difference between opaque and transparent whites. Up till this painting I had pretty much stuck with Titanium white which is a brilliant paint for covering up mistakes and blocking sections out but which is far too opaque to create mist. So I worked with Zinc white and it was a good learn for future paintings. There’s too much attempts at detail in this, particularly the trees in the reflection which I think would have worked better painted more loosely. That whole middle section didn’t work as well as I’d hoped....

  BELGIAN CANAL POSTED BY AUTHOR 12TH JUL 2021 POSTED IN UNCATEGORIZED EDIT BELGIAN CANAL This was one of those paintings that took forever and I kept hoping that it would eventually fall into place. But sadly it didn’t and I don’t think it works well. The perspective is very off. Looking back at it with a more practised eye I think it is the wall on the left that throws the painting. It is at the wrong angle. The water looks far too active for a canal too. I should have gone with still clear water and used the opportunity to put some rocks and plants in under the surface. I liked the stone work and some of the brick work and the plants on the left. But the trees are very ‘lollipoppy’ and there’s a lot of detail missing here that would have made it better. This was an ambitious project for a novice as architecture is a lot less forgiving than nature. But I learned a few things from it and might paint it again in the future.