Roanna Carleton Taylor

  This was the painting that started to give me confidence as an artist. Mainly because I’d attempted it before and royally screwed it up. When I went back to it with more experience I did a much better job. It was a hard photo to paint as the image swims or sinks on the execution of the reflection and that was not an easy reflection to paint in. There was also a lot of detail obscured by foliage so I had to use my imagination to work out what shape the bridge actually was. It didn’t help that the photo was very dark and it was hard to tell what was bridge and what was tree. The reflections of the trees work very well. It isn’t an exact mirror image and that makes it look more realistic. The reflections in the water are greener and shinier. It makes the water look like water rather than a few upside down trees. The back of the water however is a bit more problematic as it shows more movement than it should. There’s nothing in the picture to indicate that the water isn’t still...

  This was an interesting piece to paint as there was no skyline. Most of my work is very traditional in the way it is presented with the sky usually the top third of the painting. It is something I am looking to move away from as it can be a bit restrictive and is also more of a photographic rather than a painting composition. This was a challenge as the hill had to appear at an angle without using a skyline as guidance. Painting the trees was actually a bit boring and looking back I think it would have been better to create the illusion of the number of trees rather than paint each one individually. Fewer trees with more detail and shadow would have worked better. The colours of the painting I lie very much, particularly the autumnal colours of the earth which was something I spent a long time on. The colours did not translate as well to the water though. The muddiness of the water is realistic but what I should have done is take more artistic license and use the colours from...

  I sold this painting just before Christmas 2021 and it was great to think of someone liking my work enough to wrap it up as a Christmas present for someone they cared about. It was a massive boost as an artist. Not the money because I hadn’t priced it high, but the fact someone would put my work on their wall and look at it for years to come. That said there are a few elements of this painting that I would do better if I was painting it again today. There’s not enough shadow and shape on the bridge and as this is a focal point of the painting there should be more detail and emphasis on it. The grass would also benefit from more detail. I’ve learned since this how to give grass more of a detailed effect by using different gradients of darker and lighter greens. Particularly in the foreground some individual blades of grass would have worked well and would have created a sense of depth in the painting with the detail fading out as the eye goes deeper into the painting. The ge...