Tag: watercolor

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Spring is on the way, it makes me feel good.

Kvarnholmsvägen

I was out for a walk last week when I saw an abandoned Volvo by the side of the road. I took some photos for reference and painted this watercolour yesterday. I am very happy with it because I am trying to create interesting compositions from everyday, mundane life. I want to avoid the cliches that litter watercolour groups all over the net. My main source of inspiration at the moment is Lars Lerin, he is so good at capturing everyday moments with a wee touch of Swedish melancholy.

I can feel new energy slowly seeping into me now after the long winter months, I am becoming productive, it feels good to be painting landscapes again.

Title: Spring is on it’s way. 36 x 26 cm
Click the thumbnail below to see the full-sized image.

Kvarnholmsvägen
Kvarnholmsvägen
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A moody little watercolour that made me happy

kvarnholmen

A view from Kvarnholmen. A small sketch, a giant leap …I’ve haven’t been painting so much recently so this little watercolour, painted the other day was important; a small step.

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I think I am ready for landscapes

monday nude

I have this little routine were I produce a watercolour nude each Monday morning to help promote my weekly life drawing session. I play around with how I express myself – I really enjoy it so I will continue with my Monday nudes. At the same time I really need to start painting landscapes again. Maybe I’m waking up from my winter slumber? I hope so.

Click the thumbnail below for a larger image.

monday nude
monday nude
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Winter doodle

winter woods

I was just playing around. Lights and darks. The darks dominate, and cool colours too. It’s fun not putting pressure on oneself, just playing like a kid – no stress. Learn by doodling. 😉

Click the thumbnail if you would like to see a larger image.

winter woods
winter woods

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Experimentation and looking for a form of expression

Reclining nude

I have no wish to compete with photographic images. When I paint a nude from a photo as in this case I want to find my own way of expressing the feelings I have towards the subject. If I just tried to copy the image on my computer screen it would be just so uninteresting and also demoralising because the original photograph will always be best. I know there are super-realists out there who would disagree with me. There is no wrongs or rights, for me it’s just a personal quest to find a form of expression.

Reclining nude 36 x 26 cm

To see the full-sized image please click the thumbnail below.

Reclining nude
Reclining nude

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A sailing memory from last summer in the archipelago

Walking on Fjärdlång

As I write this it is minus 10 outside. Summer feels very far away right now. Thankfully I am an artist and can recreate the memories of the long magical days we experienced while sailing in the Stockholm archipelago last year. We sailed for a month, most nights we slept in a different natural harbour. This painting at Fjärdlång was created in the studio from a photo I had taken. I maybe act like a squirrel, I take photos all summer then store them for the winter months when I am starved of adventure and sketching outdoors.

If you would like to view the full-sized image please click the thumbnail below.

Walking on Fjärdlång
Walking on Fjärdlång

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What happens when you add salt to a watercolour?

Landsort Chapel

Just playing around with salt crystals scattered on my wet watercolour. It’s fun to experiment every now and then. 🙂
The featured chapel is on an island which lies south of Stockholm called Landsort. We explored the island during our sailing trip last year. A nice memory, I look forward to the summer with impatience.

Landsorts Chapel / Kapell
https://goo.gl/maps/cdBAo1Kv31DbTsZw7

If you would like to see the full-sized image, click the thumbnail below

Landsort Chapel
Landsort Chapel
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Just painting anything to get going again

Cow in field
Tugboat
Tugboat

I have taken what seems to me a long break from painting. It’s involuntary, I suffer from SAD during the winter months and it can really slow me down. This year I escaped the depression but I still got the tiredness, plus the aches and pains. The good news is that brighter days are now on their way. The snow is coming and the days are getting longer. It makes me happy just thinking about it.

So , to get the ball rolling again I painted the first things that popped up in my photo-archive which just so happened to be a tugboat and a cow. I like the cow composition, it called an “O” composition, the eye is lead around the painting like a hamster in an exercise-wheel. We can be happy just letting our eyes go round and round for hours seemingly.

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Maybe I should have stopped painting earlier

unfinished nude

It’s always difficult to know when to stop painting a watercolour. Maybe I should have stopped already after the first wash. It doesn’t matter, it was just a sketch, I was playing with some paper I haven’t used for years, Fabriano Artistico /S, it’s really difficult to paint on. The blending of colours is difficult. It’s not paper I like but I have lots of it so I’ll just have to enjoy it even if it’s not a favourite. Which do you like best, the finished painting or the halfway stage version? Let me know in the comments. Cheers 🙂

unfinished nude
Before and after