Refreshing Waterlily Pond

I have entered this piece into the Southern California Artist's Association exhibit called Points of View. I also just became a member of that group. I am excited about this membership as it encompasses several styles of art, not just plein air. So, I can freely enter studio pieces into several exhibits each year. This latest waterlily piece measures 30" W X 12" H and is oil on hand stretched Belgian linen. After reading up on several of my art books on Monet this week, I was ready to delve into my own rendition of waterlilies. Mind you, I didn't just study Monet for a few days, he has been the focal point of my old master, great artist studies for years. I've been to see countless paintings of his in several museums, I am in awe of his work. I read his Retrospective book of 400 pages twice. So, when I read that sometimes he used a pink undercoating on his canvas, that is what I experimented with on this piece. Little peeks of it show through the layers of paint to lend a cool atmosphere and compliment the yellow-green lily pads and flower stalks. Very warm colors are in the foreground. Compliments and split compliments are dragged to create a scintillating effect in this piece. There is a dancing light effect across the pond and the delicate waterfall cascading down the fountain. I felt that was the refreshing part of the whole reason I painted this scene. The way the water hit the pond and caused the ripples, the coolness of the air surrounding the pond kept me wanting to stay there forever. Although I only took this canvas there for two hours, captured the bones of the painting and finished it at my home studio. I worked from my former lily painting, digital images, Monet's influence and my own artist soul. I was amazed at how I departed from the first worksketch that is on this blog into a wider more light filled abstraction. I discovered how an artist can truly evolve by doing a succession of paintings based on the same subject. I will like to go further the next time, painting an even larger piece, it sparked a pleasant monster out of me.