Original Watercolour Riverside Boatyard with Reflections and Winter Trees

Title: Original Watercolour Riverside Boatyard with Reflections and Winter Trees
By Tony Herbert (1927-2024)
Medium: Watercolor on artists paper
Size: 10.25 x 14.75 inches
Condition: Good overall; minor corner wear and subtle warping to paper edge
Provenance: From a large private collection of this artists work, Oxford, England

Description: In this atmospheric watercolour, British painter Tony Herbert captures the quiet stillness of a riverside boatyard, likely in East Anglia — a region he returned to often for its working waterways and stark seasonal beauty. Two moored sailing boats dominate the calm waters, their tall masts reflected clearly in the river below. Behind them, a cluster of dark buildings with pitched roofs is partially screened by bare winter trees, their skeletal forms creating a delicate silhouette against the pale sky.

Herbert’s restrained palette of greys, browns, and muted blues lends the piece a sense of early morning or late winter light, reinforced by his confident use of negative space and reflections. A subtle foreground of reeds and cattails draws the viewer’s eye into the composition and anchors the perspective.

Though the exact location is not recorded on the work, the subject matter closely resembles scenes from rivers like the Deben, Alde or Orwell in Suffolk, where Herbert often sketched barges, boat sheds, and tidal inlets. The balance between controlled architectural form and looser natural elements demonstrates his mastery of plein air watercolour and light-driven composition.

Ideal for collectors of British marine art, winter landscapes, and reflective riverside views, this piece would also suit interior designers seeking subtle tonal works with quiet depth and movement.