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watercolor Watercolour

“Don’t paint pretty sunsets”, they said.

Wise painters stay away from pretty photographs of ocean sunsets. I know this is true as I tried years back and yes, I failed. The watercolour turned out to be cheesy, a classic motif to sell to tourists maybe but not a work of art that I was proud of. Nothing I would wish to show to others.

William Turner, he painted many sunsets, he had a certain attitude, he was a rebel, a hero to many, an inspiration to me.

I snapped an evening photo while sailing off the coast of Sicily, I thought to myself, this is not your typical sunset. So dramatic. It’s badass. I had a go at trying to capture the moment. 36 x 26 cm.

Click the thumbnail below for a full sized image.

Sicilian sunset
Sicilian sunset

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Uncategorized

Enjoying simple things

I painted this watercolour sketch south of Trosa mid way through the trip, it’s south of Nynäshamn which in turn is south of Stockholm. Looking at it now I am reminded how tranquil it was. Very good for the soul.
13 x 17.5 cm

Click the thumbnail below for the full sized image.

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Watercolour

An evening swim in 16 degrees

Sailing in the Finnish archipelago. Currently on an island called Birsskär. Peaceful, the wind isn’t angry anymore, not until Tuesday at least.

Categories
watercolor Watercolour

Painting in a Nordic summer

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.

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Watercolour

My last watercolour of a sailing boat

Sailing in the archipelago watercolour
Sailing in the archipelago watercolour


This is my last sailing boat for a while. It’s time to challange myself with other things.

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Watercolour

How to get better painting clouds

How does one get better at painting clouds? Well, that was the question I had at the beginning of this week. I admire Sergej Temerev a lot so really it’s not that  difficult. I just looked at as many watercolours of his as possible, there is a good Pinterest page featuring his work, here’s the link. I also looked at all the YouTube videos I could find. I’ve done this before but one has to repeat and practice a lot if one wants to get better.

Hooker on the horizon
Hooker on the horizon

Title: Hooker on the horizon. 24 x 34 cm

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Watercolour

Nice to be painting again.

I had an amazing 14 day adventure up in the north of Sweden. We walked 125km though tough wilderness in Sarek National Park which lies above the Arctic Circle.
This painting which has nothing to do with Sarek has been at drawing stage for months and I decided on coming home to paint it and be done with it. I’m happy with many aspects of the painting, it is painted with confidence which pleases me considering I haven’t been painting watercolours so much recently. By the way, if you are going on a bad-ass trekking trip I can advise you to leave your painting gear at home, I personally was exhausted each day and I was more interested in climbing into my sleeping bag than creating a work of art. Next year I have promised myself a less rigorous holiday, one where I can spend a few hours each day doing some sketching.

I filmed a lot while trekking in Sarek and I will be posting several episodes of my adventures there at a later date. I will of course be painting watercolours that are inspired by my experiences too.

The race
The race

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Sketches Watercolour

Watercolour sketches from the archipelago

All sketches on Saunders Waterford fine grain sketchbook 300g 28 x 19 cm

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Uncategorized

I think I may paint today

I am currently in Kallskärskärgård, a group of islands in the outer archipelago of Stockholm. It’s so beautiful and peaceful out here. I definitely feel a painting coming on.