Category Archives: Milford Sound
Mountains from our Travels. – Part 1
Hi Everybody
Happy New Year to Everyone, and thanks for reading my Blog!
Let us hope that 2021 turns out better for us all than 2020. I am keeping my fingers crossed!
Alas I doesn’t seem that we will be travelling soon so some virtual travel will have to be the way forward for now.
I painted 116 watercolours during 2020 and I am not planning on stopping this trend for this year.
For many years when I was working I travelled extensively on business and went to Seattle many, many times working with Boeing of various airplanes programmes, most notably the 777. I usually stayed at Bellevue but whenever there was some free weekends I took the opportunity to travel to the coast and the islands or into the Cascade Mountains. The scenery of the Cascades is amazing but the one site that dominates all is that of Mount Rainier. Although 60 miles from Seattle it looms large and is a spectacular site even from a distance.
And so painted from some of the many photos that I took in those days ( I rarely had a sketch book with me) I have any last painted a view of Mount Rainier. This painting shows haw due to it height Mount Rainier keeps a snow covered top all year. It is possible to drive right up to 6000 feet there but this watercolour is from one of the approach roads.

Mount Rainier in the Spring. Watercolour 18 inches by 11 on Arches 300gsm paper. I hope those little people give it some scale! Mount Rainer is 14411 feet tall and is a very large and active Volcano!
We have visited many mountains over the years and way back in 2003 I painted this sketch of Table Mountain at Capetown in South Africa.
This mountain dominates Capetown even more that Mount Rainier does in Seattle but it is a very amazing site from across the bay.
Also near Capetown are the 12 Apostles Mountain range and here is a painting again from some years ago of these spectacular mountains above Camps Bay in the evening.
Even further away from the UK is New Zealand with some of the most amazing scenery we have ever
Here are just three watercolours, the first of Mount Tongaringo in the North Island and the others from the South Island.
I hope that you have enjoyed this first part of my Mountain Travel Post. I will be adding more on Part 2
Stay safe and well
Brian
Places I’d like be – Milford Sound in New Zealand
Hi All
It seems a long time ago now that we enjoyed a wonderful touring and golfing holiday with great friends in New Zealand.
Wherever you go the scenery is stunning and in both the North Island and in the South Island we saw wonderful sights that will always live in our memory.
Although we do hope to return there I thought recently that based on some of the photos from that trip that I would try and paint a watercolour of Milford Sound early in the morning as the sun burst through the mountains. Milford Sound is one of many fjord in the Soth west corner of New Zealand’s South island. The trip to it is amazing and a boat trip right out to the sea when you are there is a definite “must do”.
The watercolour is 20 by 14 inches and is painted on Arches NOT 300gsm paper, and mainly with Daniel Smith watercolour paints.
Maybe it will hasten our return to this wonderful place that is, alas, so far away from the UK.
I hope you enjoy seeing my effort.
Happy travelling
Brian