Favourite Stream, small study (Paihia, New Zealand) Print

Looking into my favourite stream creates an overdose of beauty for my eyes, heart and brain. Crystal clear water trickles over a Sienna coloured river bed. The blue of the sky, intermingled with the backlighted foliage of the tree canopy, is reflected on the surface of the water. Fern fronds are hanging over the water, multiplied by their own reflections and shadows on the stream bed. All this topped by the brightest yellow-green of the leaves of wild ginger*. This small feasibility study I will extend to a larger scale watercolour in the New Year. *Wild ginger is an invasive plant outcompeting in many areas New Zealand’s natural vegetation. As an ecologist I want it removed, as an artist I appreciate its beauty. My very own inner conflict … This watercolour comes in an off-white mount.