Postcard No 25 : Life by the River
It’s so amazing how much the colour of the hills oppostite out house change depending on the weather and the time of day. In one day they can go from plae foggy blues to stormy darkest steely blue, then sunny greens and warm siennas.
As I get into the 4th week of my year long project I’m becoming more and more fascinated with the many moods and colours of the Huon River and especially the stretch right in front of our big floor to ceiling windows. Just this morning I saw a new pattern on the water. There are often dark ribbons running up river amonst the paler blues of the reflected sky and today the widest section of the ribbon was full of dancing ripples that you often see at the edges of reflections . They danced all the way from one edge to the other and set up a mesmerising rythym.
The gum trees across the road frame our view of the river and they echo the blues of the farthest mountain. I often leave them out of my postcards but today I thought they helped to frame the view and added to the cool/warm dynamic that’s going on.
Again everything is pretty loose and fresh. I just painted the colours as I saw them in the evening light. I laid in the acrylic gouache with a 1cm flat brush so the shapes are fairly blocky but this helps me not get lost in trying for details in these small 10x15cm postcards.
I’d have a hard time choosing my favourite time of day to paint…they each bring a different light and mood to the painting. If push came to shove I’d probably opt for early morning because there are some really beautiful effects as the sun rises or the fog lifts but late afternoon has a lot to offer as the light softens the landscape and warmth floods over the hills.
What’s your favourite time of day to head outside and paint or photograph for later studio paintings?
Lindy Whitton Studio 
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