Adding color to winter days

The warming color

Adding color to cool winter days feels right. Or a bit better than simply doing nothing. I was hoping to get done much more, but darkness is very restricting. Even though, I’m drawing and painting at electric light, that has impact also because color changes. Sensitive colors and shades change to a great extent in different light, and the only correct painting light for me is the daylight. I’m obviously experiencing shortage of it and using warm and bright colors to offset the shortage of natural  light.

Colorful illusion of spring

As long as I remember myself, I never liked winter. I feel that I deserve way better than this freezing air and this wet snow or icy wind gusts from around the corner. I am not trying to get up when I should, and staying up much longer at night, that’s not helping. My productivity is down in winter and I find all kinds of excuses to justify the wasted time. It might be so that I’m completely dependent on seasonal cycles of the nature. I’m definitely a summer person, and darkness and cold are completely arguing with every living cell in my body. Well, I know, winter will pass, too, and painting in bright colors takes me to spring.

Art as a rescue medicine

My only rescue medicine is art. It’s impossible to imagine how I would survive these dark months without colors, paints, sketches, drawings, ideas and paintings! Thankfully, these things occupy my brain and mind completely taking into a meditative state of no reaction to surroundings, problems or issues. I believe art is the best way to fight these upsetting and lazy moods. The only times when I experience real flush of energy are before art classes, workshops and events. The opportunity to make canvas blossom gives me wings and I’m bursting with fresh ideas and suggestions. I’m very generous when it comes to sharing ideas and new knowledge.

Warm colors for cold winter days

Add color to your day

“Add color to your day” project is coming along, but not without a resistance. I will eventually figure out how to implement three 1.5 hour sessions during the week in order to use only watercolor paints, allowing them to flow, taking away bad emotions, and therefore these sessions will be providing people, who have similar winter moods, with positive energy and opportunity to overcome the situations they’ve stuck in. That might be health or relationships, or our own nature, it doesn’t matter what exactly. Color and art can cure everything, even people, who are unable to physically perform something difficult. New images for these sessions are on the way.

A little bit of warmth

To share with everybody a little bit of warmth, I’m attaching a few watercolors. These are layered watercolors without using masking fluid. For some images, we created pen outline drawing at first.

Watercolor mixing

Winter watercolors

January watercolor in warm colors: we just kept adding different layers and glazing, and adding more and more of them. I know we should have used something like masking fluid, but there was no time to wait until everything is dry.

Abstract poppies

Pen and watercolor sketch of poppies: it’s cold outside, but painting in warm colors brightens up any place, any mood and any day.

 

39 Replies to “Adding color to winter days”

    1. Thanks Diane! Well, it goes faster without “darkness”. It’s so nice and sunny today, so we will have great acrylic workshop tomorrow, I’m working on steps yet. Thanks so much for visiting!

  1. I want to attend your classes Inese! Create an online class! I’d love to sign up. Wishing you lots of (watercolour ) warm on your dreary winter days : )

    1. Thanks Monica! I don’t know how I always end up with simply publishing the ready works, but no steps and evolution. Well, some of this I’m doing as demo for teens who attend watercolors.I mean, there is no time. I usually start with very fast pencil or pen drawing (I don’t use eraser) and then pour on fairly washy watercolor, but these paints that I bought in summer (the St. Petersburg paints) consist of very strong and very pure pigments, so the colors come out really brilliant, too strong even with small amount. I think there are just few places on the globe which produce watercolor paints using the most natural pigments, not cheap and engineered replacements. St. Petersburg in Russia is one, I don’t even know if they still export these paints to Latvia, it would be a huge loss for artists.

    2. One try, I hope to try the St Petersburg paints. Even the name, and the fact that they are Russian, sounds soooooo romantic. I am a die-hard romantic haha!

    3. They are brilliant because I haven’t seen so far any other watercolor paints which have no residue and allow mixing all kinds of colors without getting mud. Well, and allow them to flow, I mean, we are always making the segment we work on slightly wet or very wet depending on how big it is and what is its purpose. Good luck!

  2. Your words speak directly to my soul, Inese!! I, like you, always found it difficult to survive the winter in the cold gray sticks! No color….it seemed no life! I am so lucky to have been able to move to a place where winter rarely gets below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun is usually shining. It is a rare day that that beautiful orb doesn’t present itself at least once. I also found my love of art, writing, and creating again…and like you, this helps more than anyone could imagine. Thank you for sharing your words, thank you for sharing your love, and thank you for sharing your beautiful art!!! Much love to you…and many blessings <3

    1. Thank you Lorrie! It is worth sometimes to publish a post just to receive in return such wonderful comment! It doesn’t seem we can move anywhere else at the moment, but winters are harsh here, and all I’m doing is waiting for spring! You have such a rich soul and you’re generously sharing your love with everybody! Thanks for visiting and blessings to you, too!

  3. Hi Inese
    I finished my Saturday painting- I just changed it. – thanks for the wonderful class!
    Liz

    [cid:A6EDD71C-099D-4328-B5A7-4D496EC5DB3F]

    Sent from my iPhone

    1. Thanks Cynthia! We are working at the moment on another orange-yellow project which is tulips. Since I have no chance to use masking fluid when pouring on paint, some lighter spots were lost, but the final image is ok, and I think, too, this small painting warms up and releases lots of positive energy.

  4. I would love to see you working, maybe by Skype? I can’t imagine how you use food wrap. I understand layering color, having colors bleed in wet areas and how to make the pencil marks, but I have never heard of masking fluid. I use masking tape on the edges, of course. Your St. Petersburg paints certainly have wonderful pigments. Someday I may have to take a pilgrimage to have a painting class with you. I am thinking of taking a painting class this winter, just to have a break from the pressure of novel writing and as a balm from the dark days.

    1. Thanks Brenda! Well, I’m doing everything to save time, and during classes we simply don’t have time to wait until masking fluid or frisket dries. It’s such a fluid you paint on in order to preserve the white paper. Later you can paint over these spots if you want. I don’t like using it because everybody can do this, and there’s no challenge. I would love to arrange these online classes, however, it doesn’t seem I have a gap where to squeeze this in. I’m doing again my medical writing, this time it’s a huge clinical trial, the deadline next Tuesday. I will definitely let you know about everything. Food wrap you just wrinkle and leave on a wet painting, leaves cool marks!

    2. Thanks, this medical stuff takes a lot research and patience. All documents are confidential, I mean, it’s always something which is not available yet, so it is tough, not much references. It’s oncology, treatment with patients own cells in order to reactivate immune system.

    1. Thanks Jake! I loved your posts, too, especially the illustration and quote from Oscar Wilde that life is the rarest thing in the world since most people only exist … I hope art contributes to real life and genuine living, I would say big time! Thanks again for stopping by!

    1. You are most welcome. Thanks as well for visiting and liking my posts!, I hope you have a great friday and weekend ahead!, Aquileana 😀

    2. Thanks! It’s very late here, I’m getting ready for the Saturday workshop. It’s poppy fields, sort of impressionist colors this time. You have great stories on your blog, I always loved these times in human history, I was just too exhausted, but next time I will leave a comment! I had to study Latin and read and translate it while at University!

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