The Making of 'Listen to the Lake'

01 April, 2018 4 comments Leave a comment

Every now and then, I find myself in complete awe of a painting I have finished. Somehow, my creation is greater than the sum of its parts. It simply makes my spirit soar. I am drawn to step into that scene and breathe in the scent of pine trees on the gentle breeze, or pick up a special stone, a relic entrusted to us by antiquity, and feel its smooth solidity in my hand.

Listen to the Lake, watercolour by Karen Richardson

My latest beach scene from Lake Superior, 'Listen to the Lake', has had this effect on me. My gaze is captured by luminous waves and I can hear the lapping water of that peaceful shore. I love the punch of colour provided by the lime-green lichen on the large boulder, and the way the distant headlands fade into the mist. I want to be in this special place.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to take a photo of each stage of this watercolour painting as I created it, allowing me to produce a 90-second video of the making of 'Listen to the Lake':

What does 'Listen to the Lake' say to you? If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

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Comments

  1. Frank Lomoro April 06, 2018

    Karen … you have outdone yourself again. This painting is better than therapy, creating a blissful calm along with your technical ability… thank you for sharing …. Frank

  2. Jeanette Meyer April 03, 2018

    Karen – this is truly remarkable – I’m with you in complete awe of your creation – breathing, listening – what a gift to yourself and to your “listeners”

  3. Fred Cain April 03, 2018

    Magic…………

  4. Jane April 03, 2018

    From the first glimpse of the large, lichen spotted rocks, the viewer is invited to calmly take a journey onto the beach, to the rocks, bushes and trees. Then over the expanse of water to the distant hills. It is brilliant!