how do they do it?

(7x11)

Have you ever seen those watercolor paintings where a setting (or rising) sun obliterates the edges of things on the horizon and leaves only a dazzling light behind?
How do watercolorists achieve that gorgeous effect?
I think I've maybe done it once or twice accidentally (note to self: pay more attention to accidents!); here I tried for it, but missed.
I painted the horizon with the colors of the sky and kept some edges soft, but the effect looks clunky. Also, the reflections in the water aren't dark enough ... so perhaps I'll think of this as the underpainting.

By the way, if you'd like to find out more about contrapposto--a term I remembered from way back when I started college as an art history major!--Wikipedia has a good article on it, which begins with this definition: "Contrapposto is an Italian term used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs. This gives the figure a more dynamic, or alternatively relaxed appearance. It can also encompass the tension as a figure changes from resting on a given leg to walking or running upon it (so-called ponderation). Contrapposto is less emphasized than the more sinuous S Curve."