meldrum art
Yesterday, I made a real mess of a large painting. It was going so well, the initial drawing and the placement of cobalt blue for a brilliant cloudy sky… then I added some grey to give body to the clouds. I ruined it.
So today it’s practice time. I am painting on the back side of an old watercolour. It’s a good tip not to throw out your expensive watercolour paper until you have used both sides.
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People here in Stockholm like my paintings of sailing boats in the archipelago, they sell very easily so I’d be stupid not to continue creating them. This painting is interesting as it is in a wide format which suits paintings of the great outdoors a lot.
Format: 52 x 13 cm
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I was in such a hurry before Christmas to get ready for my exhibition I didn’t have much time to blog. I forgot to publish this watercolour which I was very happy with. It was sold very easily, liked by many which made me happy.
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I painted this watercolour during two lunch breaks last week. I used several photos I had taken on the island of Bullerö last summer as reference. I’m happy with my loose style, my brush stokes are fairly confident, the sheep could be better but it’s my second time painting them, like everything else one has to practice many times to master anything.
Title: Sheep on Bullerö
Format: 31 x 23
Click this image if you want to see it in a larger version.
I’m not sure what people at work think of me when I paint during my lunch break. I hope my bosses don’t mind, I mean it is my lunchtime which is my time, right? No one has told me to stop, so I guess I shouldn’t worry about it.
This watercolour which is a painting of Strandvägen in central Stockholm was painted during lunch and then finished in the evening. I am happy with it, the boat reflection is amaturish but everything else is loose and free, there is energy. Once again, when I work quickly the result is more successful than when I work slowly, I think painting with one’s instinct is key.
Titel: Strandvägen
Paper: 31 x 23 Arches rough
< Click this image if you want to see the full size original.
Ok, so I’m getting better at posting on my blog! … At least that is the way it feels. I’ll try my best to be this good all year long if I can. I feel good when I publish a drawing or a watercolour online, it means that the project is finished and it is time to move on to the next one.
This watercolour is from a photograph I took during the summer months, I’m pleased with it, some more contrasts maybe but I’m fine with it. It looks better in reality, it is so hard to capture a watercolour with an iPhone when it has subtle shades.
Title: The view from Central Bridge, 37 x 26 cm
Click the thumbnail below to see the watercolour in a larger format.
I haven’t published my watercolours for a while and my gallery site is 6 months without being updated. It’s time for me to get my act together. Here is a painting that I completed yesterday. More will be published soon.
The painting is titled, “It’s quiet in the archipelago during the winter”. 29 x 23 cm
Last week it was a bad reaction to what I ate, this week I have totally got the flu and seem to spend most of my days sleeping. Yesterday, I managed three small watercolours. I have an exhibition in the Old Town here in Stockholm starting on the 3rd of December so I thought I’d better get a move on. The paintings are rather dark, the days are getting shorter here, the sky is a numbing grey and I don’t feel so good.
My first life drawing since the spring and I decided to use my watercolours. I used cheap Canson watercolour paper, I hate it compared to Arches or Fabriano but it’s just too expensive to waste a block of quality paper during a life drawing session. I used Koo i noor woodless watercolour sticks for the first time, I really liked them so I’ll be using them a lot in future. Each of these watercolours took five minutes to complete, at that speed one cannot hesitate – a quick line sketch of the figure and then paint as much as you can in the remaining time before the pose ends. It’s stressful for sure but I find it exhilarating.
