Title: Still Water #2
Artist: Sara Rae
Medium and Materials: Oil on linen
Dimensions: 12" x 36"
Still Water #2 is a panoramic water-lily study that invites close attention to the quiet movement of a pond’s surface. Floating green lily pads, soft floral highlights, and deep blue water create a meditative composition rooted in late-stage impressionism and contemporary lyrical abstraction.
Gallery Description
In Still Water #2, artist Sara Rae presents an immersive water study on an expansive 12" x 36" panoramic linen canvas. The horizontal format removes traditional landscape anchors such as shorelines, horizons, and trees, placing the viewer directly above a glassy, sun-dappled pond.
The center of the painting is dominated by a cloud-like island of floating vegetation, built from a loose, layered matrix of short, energetic brushstrokes. Fresh sage, bright chartreuse, and deep moss green suggest overlapping lily pads, while quick touches of white, soft lavender, and pale gold evoke blossoms catching fragments of sunlight.
Sara frames this central organic mass with a surrounding field of blue. Long horizontal sweeps of indigo, midnight blue, and rich cobalt establish the pond’s depth, while brighter vertical scrapes near the right edge suggest reflected sky and shifting currents. The fine-grain linen subtly catches the thick oil paint, giving the surface a visual vibration that recalls the cool stillness of a shaded garden pool.
Style and Composition
- Artistic style: Abstract Impressionism with contemporary lyrical abstraction and a Monet-inspired focus.
- Composition: A wide panoramic layout centered on a dense island of texture, framed by dark water channels at the left and right edges to create a weightless, floating field.
- Focal point: The high-contrast central clearing where white and pale chartreuse impasto highlights break against deep midnight-blue water.
- Color palette: Deep indigo, cobalt, and cerulean blues balanced by fresh chartreuse, sage, olive green, and delicate accents of white and gold.
- Lighting and atmosphere: Soft, diffused garden light suggests midday or late afternoon, creating a tranquil and meditative water mood.
Application and Technique
- Brushwork and mark-making: Loose, physical, and tactile. Thick horizontal blocks shape the liquid planes, short impasto ridges define lily forms, and vertical dragging suggests submerged currents.
- Layering and depth: Saturated chartreuse greens pull the lily pads forward, while transparent indigo under-glazes create a darker sense of depth beneath the water surface.
- Tools and materials: Heavy-body oil paint on fine-grain linen, applied with medium flat bristle brushes for crisp, unblended marks and softer blending flats along the blue margins.
Inventory Status: Available for purchase online or in the gallery.
Shipping / Pickup: Shipping is available, with items securely packaged in professional archival materials, insured, and shipped globally; complimentary local pickup is also available at our 23 North Main Street gallery.
