Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.
This is another painting I finished, picturing the view from my window last year in winter. I enjoyed the early morning view of the winter sunset with its colourful sparkles through the trees.
My reference photo
A work in progress pic
The final painting
This is a new tryout capturing sunbeams through foliage, a sunset I witnessed through my window in wintertime.
The photo is so nice (and I say so myself), it was a quick snapshot with my phone – all the sparkling and different layers of colours within the trees in the background, the reddishbrown leaves in the foreground, the yellowish-rose-bronze-hues, the frosty pond…. it was amazing to see. To put this on paper is quite challenging, and I am going for some more trials with different paper, this one was not ideal. The painting process as such was very captivating and kept me in a “flow”, enjoying the subtle colours especially.
I paint a lot using my own photos or free source photos as references. It´s not so easy resisting the urge to copy those photos in every detail …. and transport their oh so wonderful composition/colours/uniqueness tp the painting 1:1. Unfortunatly this does not work out. It leads to a very sobering experience. It is essential to just use the reference as – well a reference. Not a blueprint. It should be an anchor to paint something new and unique. And here – alas, alas – I find myself guilty of following that sneaky urge to copy . And hey presto not being really all that content with the result. Ah well so it goes.
My reference photo
Two work in progress pics:
So here we have the finished new misty mountains painting I mentioned, which took some time to complete and was captivating for me to work on. I do like the foggy misty shadowy effects and find it quite exhilerating to execute them, curiously anticipating their outcome. Watercolour is quite a temperamental medium. But then – when the effects turn out in an appealing way it really is rewarding. I am glad the paper held strong with my many layerings and colour liftings as it is a softer sort with which my experiences were not that exellent.
This painting is based on a reference pic from Pixabay which screamed at me: “Please paint me in watercolour!”. And so I did. With the rainy greyish skies we have here and all the other everyday hassles and worries, I am convinced some colourful artwork can be and often is THE antidote.
This is the free reference pic from Pixabay, a great photo I think:
I just returned from one of my regular walks and just quickly took some photos of the afternoon sun glimpsing through the trees. And this made me remember some of my favourite winter pics of all times I took not so long ago when we had some really gorgeous winter frost that made the area a stunning winterwonderland with some atmospheric views. I am glad I could capture some of it. Some of the pics I already used as a reference to paint, and I´ll do some more.
I am sure that even Mr. Turner would have enjoyed painting some of these skies, don´t you think?
I did another sun-sky tryout with some interesting techniques, and a second painting of the scarlet sunset theme – which I like much better than my first try, it is painted on a small format grey toned watercolour paper. And to top off the sunny theme for today´s post, I added some photos of yesterday´s beautiful afternoon sky which I captured on my way to the small lake I cycle to often.
So these past months I enjoyed the seasonal changes with its nice colours and different atmosphere. Luckily, I could just look out of my window or step on my balkony to catch some really beautiful views, or just walk / cycle a short distance to find myself surrounded by nature´s beauty. These are quick snaps with my phone – you know how it is: the best camera is the one you´ve got with you.
This was an experiment: painting on canvas with watercolours. I read somewhere that one can use a special primer to do just that, and thought it might be interesting to try this out for a change. I have a few unused canvasses and do not feel like painting on them with acryllic colours or using them for collages or such…. It worked out all right, I like that one can see the texture of the canvas and enjoyed the colour palette. The painting shows the Kaikoura coastal walkway (New Zealand). The area is well known for whale watching, which I did not do – I sticked to the mighty albatrosses. I have some fond memories of that place.
I needed some fresh air today, and despite the stormy weather I rode my bike along the river (well actually the two rivers) nearby to get some good pics of dramatic skies and unruly waves. So these are some of the photos I took while trying not to get swept away by the gusts of wind. It was a nice little excursion, though – sometimes it´s good to get outside, no matter what. And I am sure, some of these moody scenes will find their way into my sketchbook – the one with the grey-toned paper.
Some days are a bit bleak when it comes to the weather outside lately. Although there are some stunning winter sky moments with strong sun showing itself for a moment between darkish clouds and seagulls streaking through the scene, a really dramatic atmosphere I enjoyed yesterday morning while having my cuppa to wake up. But I do have a strong yearning to sail away to some greener shores right now… So to somehow acknowledge this feeling I am picking up where I left with my ongoing series “travelling on paper” in watercolour, this time using my larger sketchbook for a painting based on my own reference pic which I took in New Zealand some years ago, in the absolutely amazing, memorable, wonderfully remote Marlborough Sounds.
A rather quick one – a nd really a lot of fun, based on a photo I took yesterday whilst cycling near our river. My eye got attracted to the structure of this field with its chopped off stalks and the big puddle. I painted this on my gray toned paper again – quite fitting material for the bleak midwinter weather we have at the moment. My bike-ride was wonderful, though and the sun was out at least a few times. The area where I was has some really nice views and I am glad I finally got to paint some of it, somehow it did not really work out before. There are also some very lovely houses to consider drawing/painting.
Cris´s blog of art & craft 
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