Alana Knuff

One question that is often asked is “How to paint water?” Like all subjects, water is a collection of forms and values. It appears different given the time of day, weather, and location. My approach is to start blocking in the darker value forms first and progress to lighter. As a liquid, the forms loop with rounded, soft edges. Reflections in the water follow a simple rule – the lighter ones appear a bit darker than they are, and the darker ones appear a bit lighter than they are. And to be sure, water is not perceived as water unless it is green. Yet water covers the entire spectrum of color, value, and intensity. This painting offers an example of how I paint water. Hope this offers some insight.