A rather muddy watercolour. by Marjorie Firth

I like it Marjorie, I think it portrays autumn very well and I love the right hand tree. We are our own worst critics....

Well, I like it!

Stand well back and it’s not bad.😆

I like it Marjorie and I don’t think it’s over worked autumn is just a jumble of colours this to me reflects just that.

I think it's lovely Marjorie enjoy it.

Works for me. Some nice gentle touches - the highlights on the right hand tree and the reflections are very good.

I don’t see mud Marjorie, I see the patchwork of autumnal colours and textures. I do like the highlights on the branch over the river.

Nice of you to pick out bits which are ok. It’s an ongoing process….

Lovely autumn colours

You are very hard on yourself Marjorie, the water is very good.

Like it a lot!!

A really lovely landscape. The reflections are really well painted. A great piece of work.

You're being a bit hard on yourself but - self-criticism is good when it inspires you to have another go. I don't think "mud" is the problem, but I do think you've tried to cram too much into a small space: the farther bank and skyline are a bit confused. Mind you - I'm having a struggle with watercolour right now, so it's fine for me to criticize! All the foreground elements are fine, the water, the bank, the tree - and the colour scheme has a calm charm about it. Maybe an issue is that your warm colours are all in the farther bank.... ? I wouldn't put any money on that suggestion: difficult business, this!

Not what I'd call muddy colours. I never finish any image without thinking I could have done it better. I think that's normal.

I like it a lot, Marjorie!!!

I also like this time of year, before it gets too chilly and the colours are still there. I don’t think it’s muddy but I would probably have added a little of those autumnal orange/reds into the lower right hand side. Having said that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what you have here! Lovely scene and composition.

I often overwork a watercolour so I know what you’re saying but give yourself a pat on the back for the great reflections, the ripples and the low branch on the near tree. They are superb

Well thank you all for those constructive remarks. I’ll do this view again, it’s just in front of me. I’m still interested in trying watercolour but I’ll probably get the oils out too.

Very autumnal, lovely.

Looks good to me says he who would never dare delve into watercolourist territory.

I think it's soft and subtle, not muddy - with lovely reflections.

I agree with Robert, you've very hard on yourself, Marjorie. This has a lovely atmospheric and autumnal feel which is very appealing. My only suggestion would be that you might like to use a penknife to scratch out a couple of ripples over the reflection of the trees, which would add some sparkle to the water and break up the shape of the reflection. In any event, it works, even without my suggestion. In response to your question on my page, Arches Rough has quite an obvious texture, which I think my photo did not capture. I found the paper very conducive to the few portraits I've attempted and I prefer it to not paper for large paintings and portaits. The washes take longer to dry, which gives me the time to ponder and make corrections where necessary.

Thanks for that Seok. I’ve just bought some Arches Cold Pressed, fine. Can’t wait to try it out. Thanks, too, Christine, Hilary and Russell.

We are own worse critics, I think it is beautifully rendered, particularly like the treatment of the tree in the foreground. Looking forward to seeing your next two interpretations.

Thanks Anjana - will try out new paper and paints this afternoon. Looking forward to it.🙂