Breakfast on Masonboro Island

Although it’s interesting to hear you found it a bit challenging to represent this image without it feeling forced, I don’t think it comes across that way in the final piece at all. For me, the image seems fluid and relaxed. I most enjoy the use of repetition throughout your composition. For example, we see the sun-flecked ripples on the water’s surface oriented diagonally and pointing from the upper right corner to the bottom left, which mimics the dynamic streaks in the pale blue sky. Then there are the undulating curves of the water’s edge as well as the ochre horizon line mirroring a stripe of green in the background. All of these elements working together draw the viewer’s eye around the scene. At the same time, the leaves pictured in the bottom left corner act as an anchor for the piece that points us back to the focal point, the lone egret standing in profile view. Without knowing how much you amplified the colors, I think the result successfully achieves a balance between lively and eye-catching without feeling unrealistic. “Breakfast on Masonboro Island” demonstrates that just because something is quiet and serene doesn’t mean it can’t still make a statement.