Deep shadows lend mystery and excitement to a composition. We wonder what interesting creatures lie hidden there. When my friend saw this painting, he said it made him want to go fishing for Large Mouth Bass. If a trophy Bass is lurking under the pond lilies, the Little Blue Heron is not interested. It is busy stalking smaller prey at the shoreline.

In the Everglades, Coastal Plain Willows (Salix caroliniana) form bright green shrubby mounds along the edges of open waterways. Their tangled spreading branches provide the complexity that I enjoy in natural settings.

Since the water lilies were not in flower, I couldn’t tell whether they were the yellow or white type. My guess would be the White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata) because they have neither purple undersides nor curly edges to the leaves. It was challenging to paint them because they float flat on the water.