Creating this painting called for a compromise between realism and abstraction because the two main elements of interest reed beds and grey lagged geese had to be identifiable. I was able to apply colour theory to create depth with blue and magenta in the background and yellow in the foreground. The landscape is true from life with Queenswood on the skyline and the island on Bodenham lakes in the mid ground. In essence the composition is divided into five horizontal strips (the bottom is a double strip) to create a balanced design with a suggestion of repetition and to create balance with an impression of unlimited space on either side of the picture. Experimentation with textures created some unusual and interesting effects.

Originally, Canadian Geese were shown but these can be a nuisance and can in fact damage the reed beds. Therefore, greylagged geese were chosen instead because they are more benign and are in fact a declining species (on the RSPB Amber list). Using an iPad and layers made this change easy to implement.

 Reedbed – background information from Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

 Reedbed is one of the UK’s rarest habitats, it is a vital habitat for nesting waders and wildfowl, but until 2018 it only grew in very small areas of Bodenham Lake, due to the deep and steep sided nature of the gravel pit. In 2018 the Trust reprofiled three areas of Bodenham Lake to create shallow margins in which we could plant reedbed and allow it to expand naturally. Within the reedbed is a series of shallows, pools and ditches in which amphibians, invertebrate and young fish will thrive. Channels cut into reeds will provide feeding habitat for birds such as the elusive water rail and the re-profile areas have been designed to maximise viewing opportunities down these channels from the bird hides (situated on the North and South shores of the Lake.)

 The Trust volunteer group have been a key part of ensure that the reedbed establishment was a success through their work to fell trees, conduct species surveys, plant and maintain the reedbed. This reprofiling and reedbed creation project won the Canal and Rivers Trust Living Waterways Award for ‘Work in the Natural Environment’.