experiment with different backgrounds for the water paintings
Leaving a field of raw canvas is good. It denotes an unfinished and unknown quality to that which is beyond the main figure.

Might be worth using gold or copper for a ground to tie the concept of the unknown, the spiritual, the holy, into the same sense of fear and awe found in old Byznatine art.

Blue would be the western version as evidenced by the mystical quality (and expense of) given to the sky in Renaissance art,

and by the meditative blue color field painting of Yves Klein.

Probably the most interesting thing (to me) about the International Klein Blue is that it is beyond the color gamut of computer screens, thus cannot be represented accurately. The same can be said of many hues of real gold. Which brings me back to the original idea: using color (or nothingness) as a stand in for that which cannot be fully known in conciousness; either because it is not yet experienced, or is simply beyond our ability to understand.