This oil painting, titled Reflections on the Rideau River by Betty Goodwin, captures a tranquil section of the riverbank through a striking blend of expressive brushwork and vivid natural colour. The scene is dominated by the still water of the Rideau River, which mirrors the surrounding landscape—slender birch trees, lush foliage, and pale rocky outcrops.

Goodwin’s approach is both modernist and deeply emotive: rather than striving for photographic realism, she layers vibrant greens, purples, ochres, and silvery greys to evoke the pulse of nature and the quiet vitality of a Canadian woodland in spring or early summer. The vertical rhythm of the trees and their reflections adds a sense of symmetry and stillness, while her loose brushstrokes create texture and energy, suggesting both motion and serenity within the natural world.

The painting exemplifies Goodwin’s ability to balance abstraction with representation. The reflection on the river becomes a secondary world—distorted, softened, and luminous—drawing the viewer into a contemplative moment where land and water, reality and memory, merge seamlessly.