Painting the artificial river banks of Japan
Perhaps the first thing any landscape artist should learn is to take advantage of whatever is there even if it appears ugly.
When you paint outdoors you never paint alone
So today I went to paint by the river. When you paint outdoors you never paint alone. There’s always something that happens. Often some kind of annoyance or discomfort. It could be a freezing cold wind or it could be an insect such as a mosquito or little flies that want to explore your nostrils. And of course there are always people.
Painting a hauntingly soft and beautiful seascape
On this day, there was a beautiful silvery sky. I was so moved by this scene, that I rushed home and got my art equipment. However, when I came out of the house the sky had become dull. Disappointed but not defeated, I decided to cycle to the sea with the hope that at some point the sky would brighten up again. And it did a little and I ended up painting one of my favorite sea paintings.
Painting of a Japanese festival in the rain
Despite my wife’s advice not to, I went to a Japanese festival in the rain and took some photos. To my wife’s amusement, I came back thoroughly soaked. However, from my photos I painted a picture that I am really happy with.
Painting inspired by a drive in the rain
I went to a small tourist town called Yufuin. I intended to help my friend take down his exhibition and to collect two of my paintings that were in his exhibition. But, this didn’t happen. And at first I thought that my trip had been pointless. However, whilst there I saw the next exhibition and it was amazing. And on the way back home it was raining and the atmospheric scene inspired a small series of paintings.
An unexpected meeting and a moving story
In June of 2014 I was checking out a cafe for an exhibition with my friend Mark. While there we had an unexpected meeting with a woman who had a very interesting story to tell us.
Creating a beautiful hazy effect in your watercolor paintings by using a tissue
I did an experiment in which I used a tissue to create a misty effect to a painting of a sea cliff.
Watercolor painting of a soft, understated sunset over the sea
In 2014 I often got on my bicycle and went to the sea. Here I would paint the sunset. I always hoped for a spectacular sunset. But sometimes it wasn’t so spectacular because it became very cloudy. On this occasion, although it became quite cloudy and the sunset was not very spectacular, I still thought it was beautiful.
Watercolor paintings of a wet beach with soft reflections
The hot and humid weather forced me indoors. But this was not a bad thing. Because in my studio, also known as the kitchen table, I did some watercolor sketches on scrap paper. I did sketches of a wet beach with soft reflections. In the process I struck a creative vein and ended up painting a series of pictures upon this subject.
Bicycle trip to a beautiful Japanese shrine called Yusuhara
In May of 2014, I went on a bicycle ride up a hill to visit a famous shrine. It was an arduous ride! But it was worth it. The shrine is called Yusuhara and it is a very beautiful place. I painted several on the spot paintings during this trip.