© Tracy Algar, Kleinrivier #1. Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 cm.

My favourite view of the Kleinrivier

I live closer to the river now than I did before. The quickest, easiest place to get to to sketch and paint river views is at the bottom of King Street.

What I love about this spot (apart from it being 5 minutes walk from home), is that it is on a bend in the river, giving jaw-dropping views in both directions.

One of those views is this one. In the early morning, the rising sunlight rakes across the landscape casting long tree shadows on the grassy banks of the Klein River.

Lately I’ve been spending more and more time on the bench near this spot (when there’s a bit of shade) that points me the other way down the river. I haven’t painted the downriver scene before, but I’ve been doing a few pencil sketches in my sketchbook, exploring various compositions and deciding on what time of the day I want to paint down there.

I’m looking for a time of day when the light makes the view more interesting. After a few sketches, I’m liking the evening, sunset sky with brilliant reflections on the water best.

Next post I’ll share will be my sketchbook pages of the past week at this spot.