Autumn Colour on a Dull Day

My local plein air group took advantage yesterday of the relatively settled autumn we've being getting. It was a mostly overcast but dry day with little or no wind. Our Lady's Island is a religious shrine, but relatively quiet outside of pilgrimage time. It is quite unusual in that it is a saltwater lake, but not tidal. As a result it tends to produce unusual grasses and reeds along its shoreline. During the summer, these are mostly varying shades of green, but have now turned to a stunning array of reds and oranges, once you look beyond the initial bland browns. I started my first painting in cloudy conditions but then the sun came out and looked liked staying out, so I scrubbed what I had done and started again - a mistake because what attracted me to the scene in the frst place was now gone. So that one went in the bin!

I worked a little more on the second one this morning in the studio. Just added a little more contrast to the sky and a bit of edge work here and there. Here is the finished painting:-

Autumn Colour, Our Lady's Island, Wexford
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)

Here is a photo of the scene (a bit under-exposed because of the low sun and water reflections):-