Sitting in a rowboat

Easel carefully balanced, brush and palette ready

The painter observes the scene

The sun shines, fluffy clouds cruise across the sky

And a soothing breeze sighs along the water

The river takes shape under his hands

The greenery of trees and lush grass lining each bank follows

Red-tiled farmhouses on the left bank

Ducks bob contentedly on the rise and fall

Reality is reproduced as illusion on canvas

Hulls, and masts, and crisp white sails

The artist’s impression of a day on the river

Painting the boats at Argenteuil

From ‘Red Boats at Argenteuil’, Claude Monet.