Filed under Artist Spotlight
Artist: Susan Prislopski Dickens
Title: “West River”
Dimensions: 26×38
Medium: Watercolor on Paper
Website: www.spyglassstudio.com
Susan’s Comments: The West River feeds Canandaigua Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. I painted this after a canoe ride up the river and loved how the light reflected on the water and the trees. I have been painting since childhood and have recently returned to my studio after founding and being an executive director of an art center since 1995.
FREE ebook, "Inside The Artist's Studio" - includes step by step art demonstrations by professional artists! To receive this FREE ebook right away delivered to your email, simply fill in the form below. By filling in your name and email below, you will also be subscribed to our free monthly newsletter. From time to time, you may also receive helpful product reviews and recommendations. 
Bernice on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 9:37 pm
I like your water, and reflections….lovely
Tammy on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 9:43 pm
Susan,
This is just breathtaking! I have only been painting a short time, and I pray to do half as well as you some day. I just love it! Tammy
Tiffany Pacileo on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 9:54 pm
Very tranquil, Susan. I so enjoy watercolor and your expertise is very evident here! Great painting!
Lori on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 9:57 pm
This is very realistic looking. I love the reflections and the depth with the mountain in the back. The colors are very serene
Adele Gregory on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:10 pm
Lovely reflection, You can really feel the volums of the water
Virginia Goodnight on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:16 pm
This painting is just beautiful. It captures such a peacefulness. I love the reflections on the water. Good Job!
Susan Dickens on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:18 pm
I would like to thank Ralph for doing this website for all artists.
Thank You, Ralph.
marysharon on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:31 pm
this is absolutely beautiful. I’ve never seen tree reflections painted quite like this…just so delicately there. The colors in this painting are gorgeous and the movement in the water is so perfect. What wonderful work you do.
Lynn Marlowe on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:38 pm
I’m a newbie at this. The painting is beautiful. Looks very tranquil and the coloring reminds me of oriental type painting actually. Just learning to draw and paint myself so am mostly looking as a non artist wishing to be a good artist.
Joy McKenzie on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:44 pm
This painting is gorgeous…the water is fantastic an all over serene and soft painting…thanks for sharing
Joy in Australia
Honor on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:45 pm
You really did capture the light and reflective quality of the water…Nice
Deborah Stinson on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:47 pm
A lovely and peaceful watercolor.
Wayne Cooper on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:49 pm
I own and spend as much time as I can in my canoe……an ex-rental Kevlar that I just love….being able to load and unload it myself.
Your painting captures exactly what you see from ‘water-leval’ and I just love it.
I hope someday to move myself into watercolour.
Congratulations.
susan on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 11:07 pm
Your water has a nice feeling of fluid movement. Your shoreline seems to be in the middle of the painting which makes the trees seem “cut off” at the top. Also, the reflections seem to dominant in some places and non existant in others. I really like your use of pigments.
Marjorie Teske on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 11:09 pm
Wow! This is impressive! Landscapes are my favorite! So beautiful, Susan! I am just learning how to paint with watercolors, and coming from a love of oil painting I find it rather difficult. But I am persistent, and read a lot of books on the subject.
Blessings to you as you continue with your painting!
June Smith on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 11:15 pm
Oh Susan – I love what you have done — I am so happy that Ralph has started this –
I really admire the way you painted your mountains and the way you have painted the trees above them
Beautiful background framing the frontal area
Thanks so much for letting us see your work
June
farzana on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 11:26 pm
beautiful reflections in the water!!!!
Norman F. Simms on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 11:34 pm
Hello Susan
What a lovely place that you have selected to paint. Your West River Water color painting shows a delicate care and attention to your landscape. My only comments are that you should try to lighten the background and perhaps add a little more blue tones there to distinguish as a separate distant. Also use a technique referred to as sfumato (meaning “smoke”) to further soften the mountain in the background. Your painting composition is balance, but if you offset the two areas of land, maybe moving left side closer to the viewer to create a flow to the composition. In my final comment would be to add something representing life, such as a few birds in the sky. Overall this is a lovely picture and I only making these suggestions as an option.
Norman Simms
Katherine on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 12:21 am
Love the water! A beautiful scene.
Mary on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 12:49 am
It is beautiful and thank you for sharing.
gary eldridge on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 1:05 am
Not only pleasingly beautiful but lovingly executed. I love the way you’ve worked the reflection so that it seems not only an integral part of the whole, but it could stand alone as an effective representation of reflected light. I’m a photographer but this is very much in keeping with how I feel about capturing light and how important it is. Must have been an awesome canoe ride.
ennie on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 1:39 am
Colors are wonderful. Very inspiring….makes me want to get out my watercolors and get lost in the art of watercolors.
Great Job.
Kay on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 1:47 am
Lovely work of art.
Mary Ann on Tue, 29th Jul 2008 10:28 pm
This is really well done,very nice setting,captured the reflection very well.
Soroya on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 5:40 am
Dear Susan, Simply beautiful I love the soft feeling that your painting conveys it has a real sense of tranquility. I am not a real hard critic of art as I am one who tends to paint in a more surreal way. Your painting is realisitic enough to give the viewer an idea of the reality of this place but not so realistic that you can’t wander off into a fantacy place in the mind. I love it.
Thanks for sharing
Valerie Sasaki on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 6:50 am
Beautiful, soft colors, peaceful,and calming. I can feel the canoe ride and letting my fingers skim the water. Well done.
Anne-Lise on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 7:30 am
This is so serene.
Gretchen M. on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 8:44 am
Very lovely, Susan!
Gretchen
bren on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 10:23 am
beautiful, great colors…I like the reflections…great job
John on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 10:57 am
Love the reflections.
Lillian on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 1:09 pm
Beautiful! I can imagine myself being in that canoe, so relaxing!
Pat on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 1:35 pm
Susan,
I love the calmness. Very soothing.
Marsha on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 5:34 pm
I love this- the softness of the painting reflects the serenity of the moment. Colors are great. thanks for sharing.
Francisco Salvado on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 8:31 pm
Hi Susan
A good balance of colours, full of harmony, very inspiring. And good technique too, firm and precise.
Kay Price on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 11:41 pm
Beautiful painting, very well done!!!
Ahnya on Thu, 31st Jul 2008 6:24 am
Very inspiring! Someday I’ll dabble in watercolor. It’s a delight to see such a stunning example.
Amanda on Thu, 31st Jul 2008 6:28 am
I`m full of admiration for any watercolour work because it`s a medium I struggle with so I fully appreciate how much talent it takes to produce a painting of this quality. Subtle, calming, very nice indeed.
Saso on Thu, 31st Jul 2008 1:48 pm
Beautiful watercoulor ,great reflection of the water ,but you used the same tone for the water and same tone for the trees. The objects near to you should look darker then the faraway objects.
Jayne Cummins on Fri, 1st Aug 2008 4:31 am
Hi Susan,
I’m not really a watercolour fan or authority on it but I found your painting to be lovely and tranquil, peaceful as well as colourful.
Well done, you have a lot of talent.
Jayne
Sana on Sun, 3rd Aug 2008 9:18 pm
Hi Susan
very soft and lovely painting you have done a very good work i wish i could paint like you
Cindi Picou on Tue, 5th Aug 2008 3:48 am
Lovely!! the water makes me want to jump in! The colors are very soft and inviting and realistic. A great painting – I am envious of your command of watercolor. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Ingrid on Thu, 14th Aug 2008 7:09 pm
Hi Susan,
Thank you for sharing this peaceful watercolor painting with us! You have captured the serenity of the location!
I have a couple of comments to make. The beautiful rust color that you have used way on the left side of the painting takes my eye over to that part of the painting! Sometimes we have to rearrange what nature has given us to make a better composition in painting. Maybe put this brighter color one third of the way into the painting rather than having it on the edge.
Some of your reflections are more powerful than the trees that make them. Maybe use a softer approach with these reflections, some lost edges and some distortions in the shapes so that they are “in the water”. Along the waters edge of the bank some of those edges could be lost to give more interest to that long shape.
You have handled the watercolor beautifully and have made that water look very liquid.
Happy painting! Keep up the good work!
Ingrid
Barbara on Sun, 28th Jun 2009 3:49 pm
Hi Susan, beautiful work. I love the way you did this painting. Best Wishes with all your works. Barbara
Larry Dickens on Mon, 18th Jun 2012 4:18 pm
Reminds me of home. Beautiful!