meldrum art
We sail a lot during the summer. The closer you are to Stockholm the more houses there are. For us it’s a warning, it means we need to keep sailing east for a few hours until we are in the outer archipelago.
I am delighted that I am actually painting in the studio during the winter months. My mental-health suffers badly at this time, especially these last few years. The situation has improved though. It’s not perfect, but I am able to function again thanks to professional help. It’s fantastic to be regularly painting again
I painted this watercolour from a photo I’d taken during the summer. It’s a bit of a cheat, the couple were never there. I think that’s called creative licence. I really do prefer to paint outdoors, to be in nature. It’s -8 celsius outside here in Stockholm, and it’s snowing. The studio feels pretty good right now.
36 x 26 cm
Click the image below if you would like to see the full sized watercolour.
I like this motiv a lot. It was fun to paint. I am experimenting with Daniel Smith high granulation colours. I think this has the feeling or the mood I want to attain with my paintings. It’s not often I am happy with my work but I like this one. 😃
Scandinavian coastal pine 26 x 36 cm
Click the image below to see the full-sized image.
The story behind this painting is that it just wasn’t working out.
So I ripped the picture in half horizontally and saved the top half, the sky along with the tops of the trees. There used to be houses along a shoreline on the bottom half. It was this that sucked and had to go.
I was left with some clouds and tree tops. What to do? Well, I used a flying duck to try and save the watercolour. It was the first time I ever painted a duck. I need to practice a bit more.
That’s the story behind this painting. ☺
I took the reference photo for this watercolour 18 years ago. I wish I could remember where in the archipelago it was, but I can’t. It’s a pity, because I’d like to visit that place again to paint plein air. It’s hard to imagine now, but I did not paint watercolours back then.
To my Swedish friends, does anyone know where it might be?
Many famous Swedish artists have visited this island in the Stockholm archipelago. It was the beginning of the 20th century, Bruno Liljefors owned the island and Anders Zorn often visited to go hunting together. I suspect they did a few paintings too.
The view from Bullerön: 51×33 cm
The summer is coming to an end. It’s time for life drawing classes and watercolours in the studio.
When I find it hard to start a watercolour, I often paint in small formats to help me get going. This is 17x13cm. I painted in my hotel room in Montreal recently.
Here are a few sketches that weren’t completed while I was in France. I finished them later in the studio. I always enjoy myself in Paimpol and Ploubazlanec. Nice memories as usual.
This is the last watercolour I will show from my trip to France. The house belongs to my mother-in-law. It’s a beautiful, peaceful place, as you can see. A young man lives in the van, he’s been there for four years. It’s the way it is. I look forward to visiting again next year.
