Church in Unterach on the Attersee

A white church with a distinctive red onion dome anchors the composition at the top center, perched on a hillside surrounded by smaller cream and yellow buildings. Intense yellow-green foliage dominates the top two-thirds and left edge, creating an almost suffocating frame; the vegetation masses are rendered with thick, directional brushstrokes that feel more about color energy than botanical accuracy. The lake occupies the bottom fifth, its pale water reflecting warm yellows and cool blues in horizontal strokes. Strong lateral light rakes across the rooflines, creating deep purple-brown shadows that anchor the value structure. The eye enters through the bright water, travels up the pale church walls, then reads around the surrounding buildings before being contained by the dense foliage.

The darkest darks live in the roof shadows and the densest tree masses on the left and top—nearly black purple-browns. Mid-darks anchor the surrounding hillside and secondary vegetation. The church walls and pale buildings provide the clearest lights, stopping the eye. The water and top foliage offer a secondary light zone in yellows and pale greens. Squint: you see the church isolated as a bright form, the roofscape as a dark band, and the foliage/water creating rhythmic light-dark oscillation around the perimeter.

• #5b5546

  Burnt Umber + Ultramarine Blue + touch of Alizarin (for roof shadows and darkest tree masses)

  Deep shadows on pitched roofs, darkest tree foliage on left side and top

• #989167

  Yellow Ochre + Ultramarine Blue + Raw Sienna (olive-grey midtone)

  Mid-tone tree masses, shadowed architectural planes, landscape anchor

• #84775d

  Raw Sienna + Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow (warm grey-brown)

  Secondary tree tones, weathered building shadows, depth layers in foliage

• #686f4d

  Cadmium Yellow + Ultramarine Blue + touch of Alizarin (olive-green)

  Dense mid-value tree areas, darker foliage passages between buildings

• #b9b372

  Cadmium Yellow + Viridian Green + touch of Yellow Ochre (golden yellow-green)

  Brilliant foreground vegetation, bright leaf-lit passages in foliage, water reflection highlights

• #dbd49b

  Cadmium Yellow + Titanium White + touch of Lemon Yellow (pale golden)

  Brightest foliage accents, cream church walls and pale building faces, water shimmer

Brushwork is assertive and directional—strokes follow the implied structure (vertical for trees and walls, horizontal for water), yet remain deliberately visible rather than blended. The technique is post-impressionist: distinct marks of color sit adjacent and slightly layered, building form through color-mark rhythm rather than smooth modeling. Edges are rarely hard; most read as soft accumulations of adjacent strokes where warm and cool passages meet. Foliage especially shows chaotic, energetic mark-making that conveys visual sensation more than botanical detail.

1. 01

   Establish composition and value structure

   Lightly sketch the church position, dome, roofline of central building, and the water edge. Block in the major value masses: paint the darkest roof and tree shadows with diluted Burnt Umber + Ultramarine; lay in the pale church body and pale buildings with cream or pale yellow. Work across the whole canvas to establish the light-dark armature before color refinement. This gives you a value roadmap.

2. 02

   Build foliage foundation with yellows and base greens

   Using thick paint and a flat brush, establish the dominant yellow-green that fills the top and left. Use Cadmium Yellow + touch of Viridian and work it in directional strokes following the foliage masses. Don't worry about exact forms yet; focus on getting the bright, energetic yellow-green reading that will hold the composition. Vary slightly between warmer and cooler yellows.

3. 03

   Develop tree masses and foliage depth

   Layer darker greens and olive tones into the foliage using vertical and diagonal strokes. Mix Ultramarine + Cadmium Yellow + Raw Sienna for the mid-value greens. Apply these over the lighter yellows to create recession and shadow. The foliage should feel almost abstract and energetic—use bold, visible strokes rather than trying to paint individual trees. Build up texture and color complexity.

4. 04

   Define the architecture and buildings

   Now work the church and surrounding buildings with more precision. Refine the cream and pale yellow walls of the church, ensuring the dome reads clearly against the sky. Add the smaller buildings in warm yellows and oranges. Use cool shadows (blue-grey mixed from Ultramarine + Ochre) to model the building volumes and create depth. Pay attention to the rooflines and their angles.

5. 05

   Establish water reflection and horizontal movement

   Paint the water with horizontal strokes using pale yellow-green, pale blue, and cream. Mirror the colors of the foliage and buildings above but in muted, horizontal mark-making. The water should feel still but reflective. Use a nearly dry brush or thin paint to create a shimmer effect. Don't overwork; let the horizontal strokes themselves suggest calm, reflective surface.

6. 06

   Layer complexity into foliage and add details

   Return to the foliage and add darker accents and shadow recesses using deep blue-greens and browns. Break up any flat areas with new strokes. Add architectural details to buildings—windows, doorways, chimneys—using the dark shadow mix. The vegetation and buildings should now read with clarity while maintaining visible brushwork throughout.

7. 07

   Refine edges and increase contrast

   Where buildings meet foliage or foliage meets sky, soften some edges and crisp others for visual variety. Brighten the brightest foliage passages and pale buildings with fresh touches of light yellow and cream. Darken the deepest shadows in the roofs and tree recesses. This pushes the composition forward.

8. 08

   Final textural marks and atmospheric completion

   Add final textural marks throughout—small strokes in foliage to add vibrancy, additional horizontal water shimmer, final touches to dome and church detail. Step back frequently. The painting should read as energetic, alive, and complete without appearing overworked. Resist the urge to blend; let strokes remain visible.

• The foliage can turn muddy if you over-mix on the canvas or rely too heavily on pre-mixed greens. Keep colors fresh and slightly broken, allowing adjacent warm and cool yellows and greens to vibrate together.
• The church risks being swallowed by the surrounding dark vegetation if you don't maintain its pale, distinct value. Protect the cream-white walls as your primary light anchor throughout layering.
• The water reflection can read flat or lifeless if brushstrokes aren't consistently horizontal and directional. Without this horizontal rhythm, it looks painted rather than perceived.
• The roofline geometry is easy to distort, which breaks the architectural believability. Take time to observe and verify angles against the whole composition before and during painting.
• Vegetation marks can become chaotic and formless without underlying structure. Establish major dark recession areas and light passages early so later texture marks read as depth rather than accident.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility