Good morning everyone. Today I’d like to show you this gouache painting of a waterlily pond that I did for our Beginner Gouache group on Mewe. Well, the prompt for this month is Aquatic Life and I think it’s a great choice. Because it’s nice and wide reaching. For example, I decided to concentrate on a pool , or you could choose a river or the sea. And, even better, the Life could be animal or vegetable. Actually, the reference photo of this scene really appealed to me – it’s by Uriel Soberanes on Unsplash. In particular, I liked the arrangement of the waxy green pads, just lightly resting on the surface of the water.
The semi abstract approach to the leaves on the waterlily pond.
To be honest, I was very attracted by the semi abstract jumble of leaves gently floating. And also, of course the shimmering light and reflections on the water and on the glossy pads themselves. Perhaps you remember that I am working on a theme of the semi abstract in these little gouache pieces. And you can click here to see my painting of a camel at the pyramids in this style. By the way, did you spot any other kind of life in the pond?
The Watercolour Version
Finally, I just couldn’t resist exploring the subject a bit more and I tried a different medium. Frankly, I’m no expert with watercolour, but I do sometimes really love to play with it. Possibly it’s the complete contrast to acrylic paint that I like – wet and flowing rather than thick and textured. Anyway, I think I’m not done yet with this theme. And I looked up some images by Monet yesterday, seeking inspiration. So, watch this space! Meanwhile, here is my acrylic painting of a lily pond, with some more aquatic life!
I like the gouache; it’s a nice middle ground between acrylic and watercolour.
Thank you so much. I agree – I love to paint with all three.
it worked out very well for you. Nice works!
Thank you so much!
Amazing how different the differing mediums can make the same scene look! Monet has amazed me more now than when I first thought I knew his pond and waterlily work, think because the internet has exposed me to variations way beyond the usuals. The giant murals in Pairs (only seen them once, way back in 2012), surprised me with their peaceful restingness, if that’s even a word, lol! I’ll keep an eye out for your future efforts on that 😊
I don’t usually paint the same scene twice, but I did actually enjoy the exercise this time. We saw the murals in Paris too! I’ve been having a look at some on line and they are literally just patches of colour, put down by the master of course!