Watercolor painting of rain clouds over a river

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.

Watercolor painting of a hauntingly soft and beautiful seascape

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.

Watercolor painting inspired by a drive in the rain

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.

Watercolor painting of a soft, understated sunset over the sea

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 painting of a man strolling across a wet beach

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.