“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.” – by Lao Tzu
That includes me . . . I can’t resist. There is something very beautiful about waterlily’s and ponds, a tranquil sense of being comes over me when I look at them. Whether the scene is drenched in sunlight or it’s a rainy day, the sight of these delicate flowers is always calm and welcoming.
Yellow Waterlily, an acrylic painting (11×9) was done on Canson canvas paper using Liquitex and Atelier brands. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at painting a waterlily and transparent water. I wanted the waterlily to be the star in this production, so the challenge for me was in keeping the background muted, lessen any intensity of color, little if any hard edges, and then to develop some waviness to the images beneath the water.
I enjoyed painting this scene ~ thanks for checking in and visiting. Please click the image to see it in a larger size.
Oil Pastels by Mary 
THIS
IS
STUNNING.
No more to say! Big congrats on this one! Rita
Thank you Rita – was one more challenge on developing transparent water with acrylics. I loved working on this piece and really appreciate your enthusiastic response.
Beautifully done! Bravo!
Thank you Ruth – it took a while with a bit of challenge, but came together in the end. I need to work on transparent water and this gave me a good workout.
This looks so realistic, at first I thought it was a photograph. Well done, Mary!
Thank you Eliza for such a generous compliment – much appreciated.
You really captured the light distortion and transparency of the water so well.
Thank you Eliza for your read on this piece.
you have really done an amazing job……I have just started with waters and have you as an inspiration now
Thank you Pakhi for your kind words – I really appreciate it. Water is a favorite subject of mine no matter the medium. Best wishes as you begin the process of painting it – water is a great subject to learn from when creating art.
That looks so beautiful and the finishing….just wow.Even i love painting and have worked a lot with oil pastels but you painting inspires me…….Truly an inspiration
great work
Thank you Pakhi – I love oil pastels and find them to be a great medium. Learning acrylics has been both interesting and a real challenge. Thank you again for your generous words.
Very beautiful work!!
Thank you so much Leyla for your kind words, always appreciated.
Really nice waterlily! Saying, ‘beginner’s luck’ won’t work here; your dedication shines through and illustrates that there is an award titled, ‘mastery,’ and you own it!
Oh Lisa you know how to make me smile . What a compliment , I am so lucky to have your continued support and encouragement. Thank you so much. I look to you and your art, from the dedication , discipline, and amazing quality of what you produce – it is what I strive for. Best wishes with your show .
Despite painting all my life (less now, though) I have never been able to paint water very well. You’ve done an excellent job here. Lovely!
What a lovely compliment and comment Val – thank you so much, you’ve made my day. I really appreciate your thoughtful words and visit. I’ve always been drawn to water, no matter the medium – I don’t really know why, perhaps it’s the rhythm and flow. On the other hand, if you ask me to paint a subject with a realism style in mind I have the darnedest time. I’m looking forward to checking out your blog. Nice to meet you.
I also can’t resist water or water lilies. Your rendition is really beautiful. Happy painting my friend. Janet 🙂
Thank you Janet, happy travels to you !
So pretty.
Thank you Fiona – always appreciate your visits!
This is very beautiful, Mary!
It’s crazy, but I’m having to sign up…again … for email notifications.
You’ve done glass, now clear water. You are amazing!
Thanks Resa glad you liked the painting – you know how to keep the smile on my face. I went in and checked my settings for email notifications and they are still set as done originally. Not sure what happened, but thank you for checking and visiting – I will be checking in with you to see your latest creations and mural finds!
Same thing has happened to me! Not getting all the notifications I used to. You’re right, if we just keep visiting each other, it will all work out!
That looks very nice, i like water… great work
Thank you and much appreciated for the nice comment and visit.
That looks fabulous, Mary! 🙂 🙂 I love water lilies too and you’ve made this so real.
Thanks so much Jo, glad you enjoyed the painting! We are getting lots of rain these past couple of days – finally a break!
🙂 🙂
Gorgeous, Mary.
Thank you Cynthia for your response – means a lot. Hope you are enjoying the summer months and your gardens are flourishing.
Wonderful … I like the choice of subject matter and the dark background.
Thank you Denise and appreciate hearing what interests you about the painting. Thanks again ~
Beautiful…
Thank you for your wonderful comment Maniparna – so nice to see you again. I hope you are well ~
Thanks, Mary. Yes, I’m fine. It feels good to be back again into blogging… 🙂
Sorry, I haven’t visited in a while but I am so happy that today was a good day for me (I am fighting cancer again.), and I was able to visit.
I love your artwork. Today it reminded me of success. The Lily fighting it’s way to the sun. Beautiful.
Oh I am so sorry to hear the news. I have been missing from action with blogging and was shocked to hear about your cancer. My thoughts and prayers are with you Patricia as you fight this thing. Thank you for taking the time to visit and writing such a lovely comment. Take care and my best wishes as you continue on this journey.
Exquisite, Mary! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing artwork with us. ❤
Thank you Amy, I’m glad you enjoyed this piece. It was different for me, but fun to give it a try.
Lovely Mary! I think water is very difficult to articulate and you did a very nice job of it.
Thanks Catherine – always appreciated. For me the challenge was keeping the underneath muted and fluid enough so the top layer of water and waterlily stood out. I enjoyed working this one out.
Gosh, Mary, your ‘Yellow Waterlily’ is gorgeous. I’m reminded of the pond where my brother and I caught sticklebacks between lily pads and iris when growing up in a Lancashire cotton and colliery town in the ‘50s.
Great picture. Great memory.
Have a good Sunday.
My very best,
Paul
Oh Paul I am so happy that the painting brought back wonderful childhood memories for you. Thank you for always being present, I really appreciate it! My best to Maureen ~
Beautifully done – wonderful when enlarged
Thank you Derrick – I really appreciate it!
Miss Mary
First rate work as always
A deep pleasure for me
uncle john
Thank you so much Uncle John for your kind words of encouragement and visiting – hope you are well.
You have met the challenge beautifully, Mary. I love seeing all the different ways you challenge yourself time and time again. Have you ever done a retrospective of your paintings; best ones or ones where you have felt particularly pleased by your artistic development?
Hi galluvanta, interesting thoughts and thank you. I guess I am impatient with concentrating on one subject matter. But I also believe I would have developed quicker as an artist if I did one subject matter for a while. In any respect you have an interesting idea and maybe one day I might do that. Thank you for always being present.
Gorgeous, Mary! So happy to see you returning to your art. Love the Tzu quote…perfect!❤️
Thank you so much Jill , always for your support and encouragement and especially your response to this painting
I so agree with Lao Tzu! And you illustrate this quote so perfectly. Gorgeous.
Very cool Evelyne and thanks for the great compliment!
That is an amazing image Mary. How talented you are to let us see the beauty of the lily but also so clearly below the surface. I am in awe of your creativity.
Thank you Dorann, you are so nice. I always appreciate your feedback and compliments, makes for a great day!
Beautiful!
Thank you Joe – much appreciated!
This is beautiful. I certainly hope it is in a frame somewhere that it can be enjoyed. 🙂
Thank you Judy – appreciate the compliment! It was both interesting and challenging to work out. No frame at this time.
So beautiful! I’ve missed your amazing artwork.
Thank you so much Holly – means a lot!