This
is another painting in progress and it’s interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it will be the middle panel of a three-piece painting. So look for the whole three pieces at a later date in the pond and koi galleries if you want to see the final effect. Secondly, it made a good discussion for this blog because of a focal point consideration. Whenever there is an area of light, that is always the focal point as you can see on the reflective area. The eye just naturally goes toward the light. (That’s a good sign for humanity, don’t you think?) However, with that and so many lilly pads within the lighted area, the question becomes whether the activity in the water below the lilly pads–all the roots and reflections then become too much competition. They definitely do become conflicting unless they are in the right balance to still allow the light to be the focal point. So keep an eye out for the next photo which will be the final one and see if you think I had to downplay the activity in the lower dark area or if it was already in balance–allowing the light area to have the proper focus without competing.
Question: Seeing it this far along, what would be your guess…does the dark reflective part need to be downplayed, or it is minor enough to allow for the proper attention on the lighted areas?