Sunny spring creek watercolor
Posted on by Inesestudio

Watercolor, beating the blues with art

Bright and sunny watercolor art

On TV, they were talking about winter blues. How this dull and wet January weather makes people feel down and upset. Our mind tells us that spring is far away, and to make everything worse, the sky cries with us. Bright and sunny watercolor art is my personal cure, my response to mood swings and upset mind. I paint the places where I want to be and flowers which will start in April or May.

Uplifting creativity

Not all people are artists, but many have paint sets at their disposal. Brushing bright, sunny colors on paper or canvas makes a big difference. It’s an immersive activity which allows to create our own imagined reality, very distinctive from the current settings. This year has been tough so far, so taking our mind off the painful and upsetting matters is vitally important.

New watercolor paintings, pansies

New large-size watercolor art

All of these watercolor paintings are the same size – 24 x 18 inches or 61 x 46 cm. Well, to express ourselves, we need space. Tiny paper just won’t do that for you. It’s not cotton paper I used for these paintings. All of our art stores are closed now, and that leaves online shopping which I dislike. Paper is a very important part of watercolor painting, and each paper acts differently. This paper allows lifting paint easily, but it’s very problematic when adding paint layers.

Spring pansies, watercolor
Spring pansies, painting
Pansy bloom, watercolor
Pink pansy bloom

Spring pansies, 24 x 18″ watercolor painting

Watercolor painting with pansies was started in the winter of 2021. So, it sat in a folder until I decided to add a few layers of paint and finish it up. Photos show way more white space, and I just cannot do anything about it. That’s how phone camera acts when there are white or light areas. Just imagine more purple and pink color on blooms because that’s how they look. Anyway, pansy blooms make a great subject in all regards. Use any color, any number and view of blooms.

painting of pansies

Early spring flood, 24 x 18″ watercolor painting

The Early spring flood is based on views around our place. It’s a painting where you just throw on colors – Payne’s grey, Cobalt blue, Burnt sienna, Green gold, some yellow and Burnt umber. This all mixes itself on paper and then we swipe clean the areas which we would prefer to be white. We outline the trees, add leaves, wash on more color and sprinkle with a little of leaf green.

Spring landscape painting

Watercolor wash and color

It is much easier to create watercolor paint washes on cotton paper, but if you don’t have it, any firm and thick watercolor paper will do. It needs to be thick and heavy since thin paper just rolls off and buckles. It was tricky to get any pictures of this painting since I don’t have good photographing light, and it’s been cloudy and very dark almost every single day. I love the dreamy quality of this painting, although I couldn’t get it on pictures. Colors are balanced – I used warm and cool shades to create the early spring mood.

Watercolor, part of landscape
Part of painting
Spring flood, watercolor

Sunny spring creek, 24 x 18″ watercolor painting

I started the Spring creek painting (one more!) for a private art class last spring. It was half-done, just as many of art classes paintings are. It took me a while to get back to it, but I am very satisfied with the play of colors and placement of details. This painting is done with Cobalt and Brilliant blue, Burnt umber, burnt sienna, Lemon and Cadmium yellow, as well as Raw sienna and Sap green and little bit of Payne’s grey. This painting involves quite many layers.

Sunny spring creek watercolor
Spring creek painting, top part
Part of creek painting

Bright and happy art reality

I’d say these paintings show a very bright and happy place and that’s where I reside when I don’t have to deal with daily chores and other issues. It’s a perfect escape from daily routines, a perfect way to beat the winter blues. I think it’s time to write a new guidance for beginning artists. Trust me, tutorials cannot teach much about painting as such since it’s always something a particular person prefers and does. When we learn paint, we decide on everything – style, colors and subject, but tutorial requires to simply follow and copy.

Spring creek, watercolor painting

I hope you’re dealing well with everything which comes your way. Spring will arrive eventually. Thanks for reading!

32 Replies to “Watercolor, beating the blues with art”

  3. The pansies and woodland scene are beautiful and uplifting, Inese. My mother loved pansies, and passed that on to me.

    The weather has been inconsistent here, with a number of unseasonably warm days in January. The clematis sprouted a leaf already! Many shoots are emerging out of their normal sequence.

    Reply

    1. Thanks very much Lavinia!
      I grow pansies in any garden I have, and they are adorable flowers. For painting, that gives numerous color choices.
      We also have had very little snow so far which is great. Right now, we are also above freezing temperatures during the day, but it somewhat freezes at night. Who knows what the February will be like, but, yes, we also have shoots and sprouts. If February is cold, they’ll suffer, but plants usually manage one way or another. In that regard they adapt better than people.
      I hope your year started out on the right foot and your health is good.

    2. So far, so good, and I am doing well. I think I have most of the loose ends from last year taken care of, and I am working on garden cleanup now, at least enough for late winter. I have been contemplating what is important in life, what is not, and what can be spread out over time to avoid days that are too hectic and not good for body or soul. I do a lot of cloud watching, and look for something of beauty every day.

    3. Very good approach!
      I actually do the same, no point in putting extra pressure on oneself.
      Good to know your health has stabilized.
      Who else is gonna take care of ourselves if not we?
      Lots of things need to be done, always, there’s no end to it, and prioritizing is definitely important.
      I hope we handle any issue well and feel rested and fresh to tackle new ones.

  4. Love the colors and the landscapes!
    How are you doing, Inese? I just wanted to say hello, because you haven’t heard from me in almost a year. We’ve been very busy with garden, renovations and gathering humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Hope, things are going well for you and that your loved ones back home are well.
    love from Liv from Denmark

    Reply

    1. Thanks Liv!
      It’s very nice to hear from you! I was wondering where were you here and there. It seems you’ve been really busy.
      We are fine. I didn’t post often last year, too. We had to move again. That was quite an interruption. This year, we are staying where we are, so it’s going to be better.
      Latvians are fine so far, as well. Just like everybody, struggling with high prices.
      Husband is already getting pension, I am a year behind, but since I don’t have enough years in Canada yet, I am not receiving anything.Well, he has to work since that pension is absurdly small.
      It’s an older house where we are, in a good area, though, huge outdoors here. Garden works are difficult because of all old trees, roots everywhere and lots of shadow.
      I’d say so far so good.
      You have better chances at having a great garden and it looks you are working hard to make it fantastic.
      Have a good weekend and all the best!

    2. Sounds nice that you are now in an older house; I like old houses, they usually have a lot of atmosphere. Do you think, you can grow anything there at all, or is it really bad with the shade? But you know, blackberries do quite well in the shade… and celery as well… these are some things one can still grow. The roots should also not be too much of a problem, if you use raised beds. But I don’t know if that is something you like to do? Are you done unpacking and renovating or do you still have a lot of work because of the move? It must have been a lot of work for you… are you still in the same area or did you move far away? best wishes to you, too

    3. I tried a few things last spring.
      I cannot make raised beds since they are abnormally expensive, the wood, then soil. There’s no usable soil, that’s one problem. Think: old park with more than 200 years old trees. On the other blog I have pictures.
      We don’t do renovations in these rentals. That would be already too crazy, along with the high cost. Well, as I mentioned, we moved 3 times in the last 4 years, so everything is just temporary.
      We are in the same area – Greater Toronto Area, from one suburb to another. Well, everything is huge in Canada, and there are quite distances to cover.
      Other than that, I don’t recently unpack everything. The most important things only.
      When spring comes, I will sure plant something.
      You can plan much better since I assume it’s your farmhouse, or house and garden. That’s different. Lots of work, but you know it’s for your own good. All the best!

    1. Basically, on the internet everything is the same size. Many of my paintings are large and very large, and that makes big difference and adds to the impact.
      Thanks!

    3. I’ve been painting in watercolor for 5 decades now. Today, T taught class in pastel painting. Some other days, graphite pencil and acrylic. I love switching between them.

    4. Ah yes, switching mediums is great 🙂 having different skills is so important. I do mixed media, I really like different textures and shine etc on my art 🙂

    5. I don’t do mixed media, but highly textured acrylics I do.
      Just published the flower paintings in acrylic. They are from some years ago, some even 10 years ago.

  10. Your paintings provide a beautiful alternative to the usually ugly human-made reality, Inese. Wee all need escapes to maintain our sanity, and your escape is very creative.

    Reply

    1. It is an escape, indeed. I wrote many years ago how art can be so many things, including cure and shelter for its creator.

Feel like sharing your thoughts? I'd love to hear from you.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.