I've been visiting this marshy area at Iona Island near the Bear Mountain Bridge for several years now and keep being drawn back. There are many interesting views to paint and I never know which will call to me on any given day. This painting was painted en plein air for the Artists in the Parks paint-out event at Bear Mountain on a beautiful day in September.

What makes a particular area especially alluring? Every artist will give you a different answer to that question.  In the case of marshes, I'm drawn to a combination of qualities. There's always a mix of subtle earth colors to be found in the marsh grasses, reeds, and mud. Then there are the cooler colors of water and sky. Because of the moisture present throughout the marsh, warm colors are often muted and water and sky will often have traces of warm tones in the clouds and atmosphere.

There are also many textural elements present. I love expressing texture with dancing brush strokes that vary with each different area depicted. The textures are then balanced by the smoother areas of sky and water. For me, this creates an ideal blend.