meldrum art
I am very happy to have this watercolour showing at the ECWS exhibition in Haapsalu, Estonia. Thank you Nordic Watercolour Society ( Nordiska Akvarellsällskapet ) for asking me to participate. 🙂 The exhibition is until the end of August 2019.
This was the last sketch from our month-long sailing trip to Finland and Åland. I finished the painting yesterday but I actually painted most of it at Fiskö, on the 25th of July. I really miss being out sailing, it’s not as much fun sitting here in my Studio.
I actually am going to make a break for it tomorrow morning! I am going to camp on an island that I have been wanting to sketch for years. I’ll tell you more about that in a later post.
Here is my latest demonstration video on YouTube. I spent a whole month sailing around the Finnish and Åland archipelagos with my wife and two close friends. I spent lots of time sketching and taking reference photos for future use. While on the island of Ekskär in the Finnish archipelago I managed to do a demonstration painting which is featured here. The day was incredibly warm and the windbreaker I had behind me made it super hot because it stopped any breeze reaching me at all. It did protect me from the harmful sun rays though.
The painting was a real challenge in the end, I could not get into a comfortable position, I was sitting which I now realise isn’t ideal for doing demonstration paintings. Ah well, lesson learned – next time I will stand which will make filming so much easier.
I hope you enjoy the video, I am happy with it even if I seem to be moaning at bit. Ignore me and watch it, let me know what you think.
Cheers,
David
Yesterday evening we were in Fiskö, east of Åland in the Baltic sea. This morning we turned around and started our long journey home to Stockholm. We are cruising, so we still have nearly a week left to enjoy this beautiful archipelago and Stockholm’s too.
This watercolour was painted yesterday evening while the sun was slowly setting in the harbour at Fiskö. The fishing boat hasn’t moved for years, I’d guess about 20 or even more but I chose to add a fisherman to make the scene more alive. I finished the last 10% of the painting this morning, no better way to start the day than with a strong coffee in one hand and a sable brush in the other.
Title: Fisherman in Fiskö, 36 x 26 cm
This is my last demonstration video from my time cruising around the Aeolian islands in June.
I am currently sailing to Finland with my wife and another couple. The weather is cool and the winds blow with attitude from the north. Each morning it is just over 10 degrees, it’s humid and the sky is mostly grey. …..But yesterday was an exception, it was a lovely sunny morning for at least 3 hours!
We had been seeking protection from the strong winds in Rödhamn, Åland. It’s a beautiful little harbour.
I have a favourite spot in Stockholm at the moment, it’s the corner of Sveavägen and kungsgatan. I am using my own photographs as reference but very soon I will be out in the streets painting plein air for real. After my trip to Spain recently made me realise that this is what I want to do most.
The Crossing 26 x 36 cm
Painted on Saunders Waterford Rough 300g
If you live in Stockholm maybe my second workshop on the 25th of May will interest you. I will be showing how I paint urban streets and giving hands on tuition to my students. Visit here for more information. https://www.meldrum.se/meldrum-art-akvarell-kurser/mala-stockholm-2019-05-25/
It was wonderful to meet Angela Barbi while I was in Spain. I drove to Girona and spent the day there, the weather wasn’t so great but meeting Angela for lunch filled the day with sunshine anyway.
For those of you who don’t know Angela is, she organises watercolour courses with some of the best watercolour artists in the world. I can warmly recommend a week in Girona learning from a master. I spent a week in 2016 with Chien Chung-Wei.
https://epc-artcourses.com/
Here are some photographs from my trip. I slept in a tent in the Moby Dick Caravan Park which is very close to the centre of Calella. I camp for two reasons, it’s cheap and I enjoy it. It also means I can afford to rent a car and zip around the Costa Brava.
Like I said in the previous post, it is so nice to be painting again. My focus this week is capturing light in urban settings.
For Sale: €400
Title: Birger Jarlsgatan
Technical information: Painted on the backside of Saunders Waterford Rough. 26 x 36 cm. I use W&N, Holbien and Daniel Smith paints.