I had been commissioned to paint some pond lilies for a client in France. She had taken beautiful photographs of the white water lilies from her husband’s childhood cottage on Dessert Lake in Ontario, Canada and wanted to present the paintings to him as a surprise Christmas gift. They’re celebrating a little early so I can go ahead and post the images.

Here are photos from different stages of the painting of Desert Lake Pond Lily I, including several easy methods to check the progress of a work:

I crop photos with bits of paper and tape which allows me to adjust the window easily.

I loosely “draw” in the composition using paint.

I paint dark to light.

Sometimes I check for problems by peeking in a mirror. Like a fresh set of eyes!

Working the painting upside down can also give me a fresh perspective.

For depth I like to have lots of color in the underpainting.

My finished 6″ x 6″ oil on canvas painting of Desert Lake Pond Lily I.