Waiting for the Storm

Watercolour is somewhat unpredictable. It can be lots of fun to put down a lot of water on the paper, leaving some forms dry (as was the case here for the birds and branches), and dropping selected colours freely to let them wander and blend. It sometimes doesn't work out but I liked this sky a lot!

L'aube sur la glace / Sunset on Ice

Les tonalitées de bleu, mauve, rose contrastantes avec les silhouettes 

foncées d'un paysage Laurentien.

A peaceful scene of dark tree silhouettes, setting sun and reflections on melting ice. 

Worked from a photo but I wish I was there!

Winter Shadows / Silhouettes sur la neige

Les couleurs de l'hiver et la qualité de la lumière sont des sujets se prêtant bien à l'aquarelle.

The soft qualities of winter colours on snow and the dramatic shadows of late afternoon are wonderful to create in flowing watercolour.

Snow Day / Pas d'école!

De la neige, une pelle, un tapis pour glisser. Les simples joies de l'hiver! 

Snow, a shovel and a crazy carpet, these are the simple joys of winter!

Windswept Farm

I was captivated by the "s" shape in the snow, the shadows, the stark quality of the landscape and, as always, the ever changing sky.

November Garden

As much as I hate to see all the flowers fade and die at this time 

of year, sedum keeps its delicate beauty for months.

Serpentine

Overcast Forest

Another scene captured at our much walked Mont St-Bruno. Worked from a photograph once back in my studio.

Landscape Layers

A small painting inspired by a photograph I took in the Laurentians. While I enjoy plein aire painting and work outdoors on occasion, circumstances don't always allow me to drop everything and paint! When a lovely vista presents itself, I often capture it in a photograph. This way, I can relive the moment as I paint it in my studio.

Laurentian Sky

(Sold)

Working small

 In order to make sure I work at painting each day and to simplify my studio routine, I've set up some guidelines:
- a consistent size: 3x4.5
- use watercolour only
- stick to a limited palette of 6 to 9 colours from which all colours are mixed
- work from still life arrangements or from photos I've taken
- post only the best!

This is the second in this new series. It's based on a photograph I took while out for a walk on Mont St-Bruno in Quebec in August. I loved the way the shadows fell on the path!

Starting Over

After losing all of the images on my blog, I've decided to wipe this slate clean! Some of the paintings, drawings and watercolours I'd created and posted from May 2012 until recently can still be viewed on my Etsy site at kathleenpaints.etsy.com. Today I'll be posting a recent watercolour which I made using a double primary palette. It includes the following colours:

- Ultramarine blue (Holbein, PB29)
- Winsor blue (green shade, Winsor & Newton, PB15))
- Lemon yellow (Holbein, PY3, 74, 111)
- Imidazolone yellow (Holbein, PY154)
- Scarlet lake (Winsor & Newton, PR188)
- Opera (Holbein, PR122)

I've included the pigment numbers since colour names change between manufacturers. Pigments numbers, though less lovely and more difficult to spot on the label, are consistent.