Walking along the shores of Lake Heron on a perfectly calm winter morning, I saw this rounded boulder sitting proud of the shallow water. Usually, the lakes surface is rippled to some degree, reducing the definition of any reflections but on this occasion, I was presented with virtually a mirror image of the mountains.
For the painting to be convincing, it was important to manage the subtle foreground gradation of tones as the water transitions from maximum clarity to full surface reflection – a real challenge!
To focus attention on the water, I decided to crop into the mountains and allow the reflections to indirectly describe the snow tinged peaks.
Tim Spindler - Artist 