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watercolor Watercolour

A painting isn’t finished until the brush is put away

You can only laugh. I was just putting the last touch to the painting when I lost control of my brush. It jumped up in the air, spinning like a circus knife in front of my eyes. It hit the page, sable first. Splat!

I had just loaded the brush with Vandyke Brown moments before. The glimmering sea had lost its shine. Now there was a dark brown whale in my watercolour.

Later, I painted over the crime scene with opaque white. The sea sparkled again. It would never be perfect, but it’s finished.

The Coast Road, Malahide, Ireland 33 x 23 cm

Click for larger image.
Categories
akvarell watercolor Watercolour

The Stockholm Archipelago

This is one of my first studio paintings since 2019. Kinda had to believe, but it’s true. My seasonal depression has prevented me until now. I painted last week and I added a few more islands to it yesterday. I’m happy with it. So nice to be painting during the winter months again. 🙂

Categories
watercolor Watercolour

New addition in the studio

Now that I’ve started painting in the studio again I treated myself to a new palette 😀

It’s from Korea, Mijello : 24 Well Plastic Palette with Airtight Lid.

Categories
watercolor Watercolour

Fighting picture-postcard syndrome or not

Last week I painted three watercolours. Initially, I was really happy with all of them but after a while I gradually changed my mind.

I had just finished reading a lovely book about Edward Seago by James Russell. Seago was an excellent English watercolour artist that was very successful in his lifetime but was disliked by the critics. “He painted picture-postcards” a critic once said.

He was a landscape painter, he painted the countryside around him. A typical watercolour would be of a summer-blue sky, rolling hills and shadows dancing on the fields while animals grazed. He liked sailing boats too so you can understand that he inspires me a lot. His watercolours were very pleasing to the eye.

So this is the question, should I worry about my watercolours looking like picture-postcards? Maybe I should paint more watercolours like the one featured here. I painted it to counteract the three pretty watercolours. It’s of Poolbeg Power Station in Dublin Bay, Ireland. A quick sketch (30mins) 28x18cm.

Your thoughts please. 🙂

Categories
watercolor Watercolour

A memory from Mexico

The forest was way too complex for me to paint. I had to simplify the subject and I tried to capture the feeling instead. Fun, fun, fun.

Categories
My Sketches Sketch Sketches sketching urbansketching

My Pencil Sketchbook 2021 – 2022

My pencil sketches from last year and the year before.

New video 🙂

My Pencil Sketchbook 2021 – 2022

My previous sketchbook video seems to be quite popular on my YouTube channel so here is the next one. I use these small sketchbooks because they are easy to always have in a pocket or shoulder bag. I like the texture of the paper, it’s called, Hand Book Journal.Co and it’s distributed by Speedball Art Products, Statesville, NC. It’s made in India. Here is a link to their website: https://www.speedballart.com/our-product-lines/paper/artist-journals-sketchbooks/travelogue-journals/

Categories
sketching watercolor Watercolour

All good things come to an end

I’ve been having a great time in Mexico visiting my old friend Jorge. Yesterday, Luis , a new friend, showed me a wonderful spot in the local forest to sketch. My adventure is coming to an end soon. I have to get back to Stockholm. My life drawing classes begin this Thursday. Contrasts.

Sketching in the local forest

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Uncategorized

Enjoying my holiday in Mexico

I really needed some sun. I am visiting a good old friend of mine here in Campeche, Mexico. It’s the winter season here also, … except It’s 32 degrees by midday. I’m glad it’s not the summer!

I’m getting my share of sunlight, trying not to burn, painting when I can. Good food, beers, and long conversations with my Mexican friend. It’s really nice. It’s 3 degrees and grey in Stockholm. Hmm, 32 degrees and humid is so not so bad.

Categories
watercolor Watercolour youtube

My latest painting outdoors video

The watercolour in this video was painted on the island of Nämdö in the Stockholm archipelago. I spent two days camping and sketching, the weather was wonderful but it was starting to get chilly.

Painting outdoors in the late Nordic summer. Ep37