The beauty of water

I love water! Water in all its forms—lakes, ponds, streams, waterfalls, rivers and oceans, fountains in small villages in Spain or France and coral lagoons in the islands of the South Pacific—almost always brings a sense of peace, reflection and rest.

What could be more enjoyable than to sit beside water with a sketch book and watercolours, trying to capture the patterns of colour, the reflections, refractions and diffusions, as water and light transform each other?

Golden light shining through a shallow river in New Zealand.

When light and water meet, the spectacular happens. In art, light is everything. It transforms everything it touches. The ordinary becomes spectacular in an instant.

A celebration of silver, grey and white during a winter’s day on the south coast of England.

Clouds, mists and fogs are nothing more than water suspended in air. But when light shines onto, around or through them, they become breath-taking. Frozen water (snow) becomes beautiful in the presence of light.

A morning on the Avon river in England—shrouded by mist.

This painting, called Reef, Samoa was painted after I walked out across a reef in the Pacific Island of Samoa. Peering down into cracks between the rocks into the depths, the brilliant blues and greens became deeper and more mysterious. I wanted to capture the liquid colors of water as they flowed around the rocks. I glued paper and cardboard to the paper, added texture paste then poured liquid acrylic paint and let it run, mix and flow across the surface of the painting. I repeated this at least eight times, building the layers until I was satisfied that the paint captured the movement of the water flooding in and out of the crevices.

Reef, Samoa. A tribute the blues and greens of the South Pacific lagoons.

Almost all of the forms water can take inspire a sense of peace!

Water from a farmhouse gutter becomes drops of silver.

Throughout the world, artists have been (and are) fascinated by water. Monet was just one of many who was influenced and inspired by water.

Just one of the beautiful “water landscapes” that Monet produced at his home in Giverny between 1897 and his death in 1926.

I walked in awe through the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia—a staggeringly beautiful series of lakes, emerald and crystal clear, both large and small, that descend from one to another in an endless series of waterfalls.

This is only a small section of the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia—the whole place is a celebration of water!

With water comes sound; water lapping against boats in a harbor, the crash of surf on an isolated beach, the peaceful gurgling of a small brook or the almost imperceptible sounds of a slow-flowing river.

The Alhambra, in southern Spain reflects Islamic architecture’s love of water. Throughout the immense palace water is integrated into every facet of its design. Water is both cooling and peaceful in this hot part of Spain, bringing a sense of quiet religious reflection.

Water played a crucial role to the Moors in Alhambra in southern Spain. In a land of great heat, water cooled the buildings, nourished gardens, powered fountains and created a place of stunning beauty and peace.

Water itself is often considered sacred. The Te Waikoropupu springs in the South Island of New Zealand are the clearest spring waters in the world. Underwater clarity tests have shown the water to have underwater visibility of 63 metres. The springs are wahi tapu—a “sacred treasure”—to the local Māori and it is forbidden to touch the water, so visitors walk on a wide board pathway above the water.

The smaller of the two springs is called the "Place of the Dancing Sands” because the water pushes up through the white sand bottom of the spring floor, moving the sand particles and making them appear to dance!

The water from the main spring is a constant cold temperature of 11.7°C and incredibly blue and clear. Being at Te Waikoropupu felt like being in a cathedral!

South Island, New Zealand

Walking out onto a harbour, into the fresh breeze, I was struck by the beautiful shades of greens and blues, framed by the darker harbour walls on both sides. I could almost "feel" the currents and movements in the water. Beyond lay thousands of miles of open ocean. There was an immense sense of peace in this place, only disturbed by the occasional cry of the gulls.