Janesville Park along the Rocky River, USA.

Watercolour, Arches 220 gr, Size 38 x 28 cms.  Photo by Cindy Koshen

Fishing Cove in Cornwall

Watercolour, Size 38 x 28 cms, s.c. 220 gr Arches.
One of those sheets which lost its sizing, and particularly the upper half acted like a "frustrating" blotting paper. I persevered. This photo was taken by my daughter in Cornwall, England.

Study in Light

Christmas Theme
Watercolour, Arches 220 gr, Size 32 x 25 cms

Christmas Theme

Pompous Penelopy

Watercolour, ArtSpectrum 300 gr, Size 25 x 17 cms
This "portrait" is purely from my imagination. As the image developed from my subconscious, she seemed to have acquired a haughty look somehow …alas naming her was not difficult.

Roussillon , Provence

Watercolour, Arches 200 gr, Size 38 x 28 cms
Not at all easy, so many angles, so many roofs...
Photo inspiration from Franklin at PMP http://paintmyphoto.ning.com/photo/rousillon-1

Sojourn at a Café or Tatie and Nini

Watercolour, Waterford 250 gr, Size 33 x 25 cms. 

Inspiration for this painting was Kees van Dongen "The Two Cousins". I just love the loose, free, imaginative, semi abstract approach to portraiture of some of the artists of that era.

Servant Girl

Watercolour, ArtSpectrum 300gm WC Pad, Size 24 x 12 cms.
I cannot paint realistic portraits in a fit, so have decided to be different and used Amadeo Modigliani's painting as an inspiration.
I really admire his free, semi-abstract approach to portraiture, even exaggeration, "simplification" yet bringing the focal features forward

Sunset Against the Light

Watercolour, Arches 220 gr, Size 38 x 28 cms
Inspiration Tierry de Marichalar.

Sunset Against the Light

Skalvik, Sweden

Watercolour, Arches 220 gr --- "blotting paper"
Size 38 x 28 cms. The paper gave me once again heaps....the washes just soaked in.
Beautiful photo inspiration from Maria Wikström

Haystacks in Basque

Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 38 x 28 cms
after Tierry de Marichalar Paysage Basque

Small Lake

Small Lake after Thierry de Marichalar
Watercolour, Arches 250gr, Size 38 x 28 cms

Trunkey Creek Cottage, NSW Australia

Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 38 x 28 cms
Trunkey Creek - A sleepy little village, at one time a prosperous gold rush mining town, now long forgotten on the road to Crookwell, between Bathurst & Goulburn, NSW, Australia

Tyboron Harbour, Denmark

Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 38 c 28 cms
The rigging is just so difficult and confusing if one is not a sailor! that bit of wonkiness I call my style

Secret Alley

Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 38 x 29 cms
My daughter thrust into my hand a photo  asking me to paint it.
I loved it, it was mystical evoking thoughts what was beyond…

Peggys Cove, Canada

Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 38 x 28 cms
This scene has taken me ages to complete, not only the drawing, but also painting it. I had to keep taking breaks away from it - the usual impatience was settling in. And yes I struggled considerably with this one.
Inspiration - a photo by Danielle Langlois, Wikimedia

Simply a Rose

Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 14 x 19 cms

Poppies on a Window Sill

Watercolour, Size 38 x 29 cms
Colours: cad red, winsor red,cad orange,cad yellow, cobalt,ultra, burnt/raw sienna, my dark mix, lemon.yel.raw umber.
During a coastal walk at Nielson Park, we stopped at a cafe. Could not resist to take a photo of that delightful window.

Corn Cob

Watercolour, Arches 200 gr, Size 28 cms x 19 cms
Colours: Quinaq.Gold, Auerolin, brown madder, burnt sienna, titch aliz, raw sienna & cobalt (sky), my dark mix, magentam cad yellow & indian yell.

Trunkey Creek Village, NSW Australia

Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 38 x 28 cms.
The village of Trunkey Creek is located in the Central West of New South Wales Australia on the road to Crookwell, between Bathurst & Goulburn.

Trunkey Creek was established during the gold rush back in 1851 & mines sprang up throughout the whole hillside. The population grew quickly to 50 & at one time the village had a population of approx. 2,500. Now it may have just about 60 residents.

In January 1939 a massive bushfire devastated the village. Several lives were lost and many buildings were destroyed including the school. Charred fence posts between many of the village properties are the only evidence still visible of the then prospering old mining village.

This village is incredibly quaint, with old shacks, dilapidated houses and an old stone church on a hillside. It is as if it’s been forgotten and the times have simply passed it by.

P.S. Note the old worn Post & Rail fence. The planter in front I found so utterly incongruous considering the surrounds.

Palms & Coconuts

                       Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 20 x 28 cms

Forgotten Truck at Trunkey Creek, NSW Australia

Watercolours, Arches 250 gr, Size 38 x 28 cms
Trunkey Creek is a quiet, attractive, tiny old goldmining village on the road to Abercrombie Caves. Located 262 km west of Sydney, 56 km South of Bathurst along the road to Crookwell and 13 km from Abercrombie Caves. All that remains from the gold days are some mud huts, brick chimneys and abandoned mineshafts and mullock heaps in the hills. Today the area is noted for its merino wool production. The village has little more than a wooden church, a few houses, a pub-general store and a cafe.
I took this photo at Easter during my travels through the area.

At the Railway Station

                        Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 36 x 26 cms

Magnolia

 

Size 28 x 19 cms, Watercolour, Arches 250 gr.

Around Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia

Around Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia

Watercolour, 250 gr Arches. Size: 34 x 28 cms
I gave this painting as a present to a very good friend of mine, who has a lovely farm with a very similar setting in Jindebyne.

Roses

Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 17 x 12 cms
A quick sketch, trying to "Get Loose", 20 min exercise

Winter in Schepsdorf, Lingen, Emsland Germany

Watercolour, Arches 250 gr,  Size 38 x 28 cms

Colours: Paynes G, Prussian B, titch red light, Quinac.Gold, burn & raw sienna, raw umber
Winter in Schepsdorf, photo compliment of Werner Franke, Lingen Schepsdorf. The original photo was without snow but various gradation of greys with twigs of remaining autumn leaves.

View from the old Gladesville Mental Hospital, Sydney NSW, Australia

Watercolour, Arches 300 gr, Size 38 x 27 cms
Such views are what Sydney is all about!
Little Background to the Gladesville Hospital:
The Gladesville Mental Hospital lies on extensive grounds stone throw away from the City with sandstone buildings and Priory. The hospital has been used to house and treat mental patients from 1915 to 1997 when it has been declared antiquated & all inpatient services were consolidated and moved to the Macquarie, North Ryde hospital.
The site has most wonderful views overlooking the harbour. It had orchards, parks, piggery, husbandary & green houses where the patients worked which gave them a sense of purpose & worth and made the hospital considerably self-sufficient.
A prime block of land, a prime location... such nowadays a rare find in Sydney.
The water is dotted with boats of all sizes from a million dollars vessel to a modest small dingy.

Landscape Images from Australia & Europe

Vietnam Images

Hoi An, Thu Bon River   (SOLD)
Watercolour, Arches 300gr, Size 38 x 28 cms.I used 2 photographs to paint this scene of the river bank in Hoi An.   The buildings along the river are higgledy piggledy “glued” together, all at different angles, odd shapes roofs - some tiled, some corrugated iron, in various stages of lopsidedness.

Vietnam Images

Hanoi one of the alley ways
Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 26x31cms
One encounters similar scenes like this one in the old quarters throughout Vietnam. Humidity does its work on building walls, mould & moss growing through the mortar or stone work, the typical fruit sellers with their heavy loads shuffle quickly through the narrow alleyways.

Hoi An
Watercolour, Arches 250 gr, Size 25 x 17 cms
This house, its angle, the old French emblem depicting what was behind the facade long time ago, and now a part of the "tailors haven" caught my attention. It called to be painted.
Because of the high humidity in Vietnam, houses show various stages of dilapidation, mould, and rising damp, it is actually very charming - and I tried to capture that. Hoi An is an ancient historical town, it used to be a prosperous seaport during 16th to 18th centuries. It lies on Thu Bon river.