Most of Arntson's paintings of water do not reference the surrounding land. Instead they focus on light, texture, shape and movement. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel critic James Auer wrote: “Arntson in my eyes, is a phenomenon. Her watercolor paintings of wave patterns are at once expressionistic and photo-realistic. You'd swear they were color slides but they aren't. Simultaneously abstract and precise, they testify to water's regenerative role in the life cycle. They play wonderfully on the differences and similarities of photography and painting.”