Framed oil painting

14 x 16 (image size) oil on board

Morning Calm on the James ~ Simple Reflections!

In one of my previous blogs entitled Keeping it Simple ~ Sometimes less is more, I wrote about trying not to overwork a painting.  Morning Calm on the James is my attempt at keeping it simple.   

Every time I started to develop the painting beyond my original intentions, I would back off and catch myself!

I did end up refining the brushwork and “cleaning it up”.  It’s just one of my natural tendencies.    

This painting is about the moment I discovered the Great Blue Heron standing in the shallows, as the morning sun warmed the rocks and highlighted his face.  The water was flat, the sky reflected off the surface, and only the large rocks shared the bird’s tranquil space.  

It was quite awhile before the heron decided it was time for breakfast and became active. The Great Blue was in no hurry, as if taking the time to enjoy the sunrise.  

The simplicity is meant to capture the essentials of the scene, evoke a sense of tranquility and draw you in.