No. 264: The Reflecting Pool

REFLECTING POOL, No. 264, September 2014, Tom Wills by commission

I feel as though I crossed a threshold with this painting, "Reflecting Pool," No. 264, which was completed in September after four weeks of work. I had to keep it under wraps for months because it was a Christmas gift.

But I have been dying to show you.

REFLECTING POOL in matching mat and metal-paint frame.

I think I can now say that I am -- or can be -- a painter.  This is the biggest one yet, it was done on a commission and was framed professionally.  Six or seven smaller watercolors preceded it, but this was the first specifically sought by a customer.

"Worth every penny! It's stunning!"

The owner also writes:
"This is the building that houses the indoor pool at the Americano Beach Resort in Daytona Beach where we have vacationed every year since 1992. My parents bought into the timeshare a few years before they retired and my wife and I have joined them there for 22 years. It's an old-time hotel turned into a modest resort on the beach and it has become our sanctuary. 

"This year we stayed on the pool deck every night until after 11. As we walked across the deck, I saw the moon over this building and paused to take a picture. She loved the picture. This will become something she will treasure. "

I told Mary that I really love this painting, too.

"I started tearing up when I saw it. It's as close to perfect as I can imagine a painting being."

The painting was done by a process of layering, and then sharpening the colors.
All of the watercolors were mixed by me from primary colors and black. Mixing the basic colors creates hundreds of unique possibilities.
You can follow the process in the images below.

I first sketched an outline of the building and the outdoor pool. It was almost like drawing the building twice -- and once upside down -- to capture the reflection in what would become the water. I then did a very light wash of some color.

Purple and blue are very prominent colors in the finished painting. Here you can see how I began to apply them to the roof line and windows.

At this point the image begins to take on depth as shading is added to the windows and roof line, as well as the reflection.

I made the pool a color test for what would eventually be the moonlit sky.  As it is a reflection, the pool colors had to be darker.

Here I began to add some shrubbery and benches, as well as a fence. I also deepened the purple edge around the pool.

I began experimenting with the moonlit sky at this point, with mixed results at first. It took me three washes of watercolors to even it out to my satisfaction. Also note pool loungers starting to take shape.

At first the sky had an uneven quality, with lines where paint had not blended well.

 

 

I was satisfied only after adding a considerable amount of blue to the night sky. The star specks were added with white acrylic paint on a toothpick tip.

The pool loungers were the most intricate part of the process.  I painted them last.
The end result is a fair reflection of the original photo, and also reflects the owner's expressed desire for a "retro feel."
Sometimes, even if the outcome is not certain, I have to be brave enough to dive right in.