During the summer, I was on the island of Ålö in the Stockholm archipelago. I camped for several days and explored the island. Naturally, I painted while there. I never get bored in the great outdoors.
I filmed while painting, and will be publishing the video at a later date.
It was nice to be back sketching with the Stockholm Urban Sketchers group yesterday. 
The conditions were challenging at Sjöhistoriska. (The Swedish National Maritime Museum) 
I started painting this watercolour in October 2025. There was a lot happening around me that day so I found it hard to concentrate. I decided it was best to finish the painting at a later date.
So finally, I completed the watercolour in July this year. I am happy with the result but I do wish I could have shown you more of me actually painting it. I decided not to film a lot because it was difficult enough just painting the scene.
Saying this, I hope the video gives you an insight into my painting process. This was a difficult watercolour and I am happy I managed to complete it. The aim of my videos is to encourage you to go outside and give plein air painting a go. Click below to see the YouTube video.
It was not a serious crime. I camped outside the designated camping area on the island of Utö in June. A large part of Utö belongs to the Swedish millitary, They have a shooting range, not just guns, but big guns if you know what I mean. Anyway, I didn’t camp anywhere near the millitary area.
I painted two watercolours during my three day visit to the island. I will publish a video of the experience at a later date. Here is the first of those two watercolours. It’s a simple composition, it was a actually a struggle, but aren’t all paintings just that, a struggle, one can only hope for a happy ending.
Last week I met my artist friend, Daniel on the island of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm. We had a great day and we found a lovely compostition to try and capture. We gave it a go and had some fun. My watercolour wasn’t as good as I would have liked. Just then it didn’t matter. It was a social day, we had lunch at the Architectural / Design Museum and chatted in the beautiful sunshine.
Later, at home I felt that I could have painted a better watercolour. It was a missed opportunity I thought. So I decided that I would return the next day and really try and capture the scene. I am happy with the result, I hope you like it too.
The first day.
The second day
If you would like to see the video of my experiences, please click the Youtube tumbnail below.
Click the tumbnail to see a full sized image.
This is actually a studio painting. I say that because for some reason I find it really hard to paint in the studio. I just want to paint plein air all the time. It’s cold here though, so it’s wise to stay indoors.
You know what I did! I removed my studio easel and replaced it with my field easel and voilà, I suddenly found it easy to paint indoors. Mind games, that’s all it is. 😁
Click the image below for full sized image.
I somehow forgot to film and publish this sketchbook from 2022 – 2023. Well, here it is now! 😊
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. The brand is, Hand Book Journal .Co and it’s distributed by Speedball Art Products, Statesville, NC. It’s made in India originally. The size I use is 14 x 9cm or 5.5″x3.5″. Here is a link to their website: https://www.speedballart.com/our-product-lines/paper/artist-journals-sketchbooks/travelogue-journals/
