The signposted walk we did last week in our Natural Reserve "Oude Buisse Heide" passes by a small pond. That pond and the area around it was donated to the organisation that manages the Natural Reserve by its latest owner Mr. Jan Dik. Hence the name Jan Dikkeven because 'ven' is Dutch for a pond in the forest.
The bridge only seems useless because there is a lot of very wet mud on one side and there is water on the other side. In months with more rain there probably is a small stream ending in the pond.
We did have to cross that little bridge to continue our walk and I made some pictures of the scene because I liked it.
Springtime means fresh young leaves, lots of branches still visible and the earth is not yet covered with grasses and mosses. The little bridge is as lop-sided as I have painted it, it was necessary to concentrate when we crossed it.
I did like to paint the little pool next to the bridge with the reflection of the large tree in it. There are lots of shadows that suggest the presence of more trees behind my point of view. The big tree is a pine tree and most of its needles grow on the higher branches, out of sight. They do give a bit of shadow though.
Painting this scene was nice. I had to think about shadows, bits of grass and bits of bare earth and to leave open spaces in the lines of the branches for the beginning foliage.
The big pine tree is very dark because of the shadows and it's not easy to make it round. I did learn from this one, so the next big tree will certainly be easier.
More information about this watercolour painting (size, materials used, availability) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
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