Monet always liked to capture the play of light and the reflections of clouds on water. He painted on a floating studio in Argenteuil and on canals in Holland. When he was finally able to buy the property in Giverny, which he had been renting for ten years, he decided to create a pond in the land below. He diverted a small branch of the Epte river to fill it, planted exotic species, and even had a small Japanese bridge built over his new mirror. A great lover of Japanese prints, Monet was inspired by them to set the scene for his Asian dreams. Nympheas were later planted.