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.
Table Mountain in South Africa. Watercolour sketch.
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.
The Twelve Apostle Mountains at Camps Bay in South Africa. Watercolour 14 by 10
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.
Mount Tongagingo in New Zealand Noth island. A massive dormant Volcano. Sketch 9 inches by 8
Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain. Sketch 10 by 8 inches.
The Amazing Milford Sound at Dawn in New Zealand. Watercolour 18 inches by 12.
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
The 12th Hole at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia
It has been a great weekend of golf for those like us that can’t play due to Lockdown but who love the game of Golf.
Dustin Johnston was the clear winner and he played great golf to be the Masters Champion.
Lots of others did extremely well and the UK contingent led by Rory Mclroy did well too.
So as usual here are a few watercolours of the beautiful course at Augusta in Georgia.
Alas there were no azaleas on show in November but maybe the ones in these watercolours will brighten your day.
If you are golfer, happy golfing when you can!. If not I hope you will enjoy these anyway.
Stay safe and well
Brian
Red Birch, the 16th hole.
Sketch of the 12th Hole
The Bridge and the Covered bridge over Rae’s Creek at Augusta
Another painting of the 12th Hole
Hi Everybody
Sadly, due to the terrible impact of Covid 19 in the USA and around the World, this year’s Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Course has been cancelled and won’t be played again till 2021. Like all sporting events for both players and spectators this is a very sad situation and all we can do is look forward to the resumption of sport as soon as is possible and the events that will follow.
Each year I like to post a few watercolours of Augusta National Golf Course as it is a place that I would really like to visit, and maybe even play the course! The Azaleas and the trees around the course make it one of the World’s most beautiful Golf Courses.
Maybe one day this will happen but until then I can only look at the phots of it and back videos of former competitions there.
So here a few watercolours painted over the past few years of the very beautiful Augusta course in Georgia.
All were painted from fleeting scenes on the television and a few screen shots.
I hope you will enjoy seeing them and join with me in wishing all golfers around the world “safe times” and of course everybody else too.
Stay safe and we can all look forward to exciting golf tournaments in 2021.
Brian
The 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Course
By the 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Course
The 16th Hole at Augusta National Golf Course
The 12th Hole at Augusta National Golf Course
Hi Everybody
Life here in the UK is changing daily, and not for the better it seems, as we contend with the Virus.
Not going out is the new phase we are in and as it will last a while we will all be rather frustrated.
Maybe some more time for painting, reading, gardening and hopefully still some golf will now now be our new norm! Travel will have to wait for now.
So today I painted a watercolour of the skyline of Toronto.
After a recent commission from there I thought I should look up Toronto as I had only passed through it years ago when visiting Niagara Falls.
I immediately saw that like a number of other cities it has an impressive skyline and so here is the watercolour.
Toronto. Watercolour 18 inches by 8 on Arches NOT watercolour paper.
I have painted a few skylines before and so they are reproduced here. They are enjoyable to do and I like the almost monochrome approach I have used here.
As they are fun to do I think I might do some more, well there is going to be plenty of time over the next few months!
I hope you like these so far,more to follow.
Red roof on Teal lake. Watercolour 10 inches by 10.
San Francisco. Watercolour 16 by 8 inches
Rye from the Marshes. Watercolour 14 by 8
San Francisco, watercolour 11 by 7 inches
Montreal. Watercolour 14 by 9 inches
Stay well and Travel will return for us later on.
Brian
The 12th green at Augusta National Golf Club
Last weekend we enjoyed watching the amazing Master’s Golf on the TV from Augusta. As ever it was fantastic spectacle, and made even more so by Tiger Woods once again winning the Trophy.
While watching I sketched these three small watercolours as the scene of the course with the Azealeas is as always so wonderful to see.
These are simple line and wash watercolours, each one about 9 inches by 8 and on Khadi watercolour paper in the sketchbook.
It could have been one of my ” Places I would like to be” posts and maybe one day we will visit there to see the beauty of this golf course at first hand.
I hope you like them , and if you play golf that the quality of the play from the Professionals will inspire your game too.
Happy travelling
Brian
The 16th Hole at Augusta national, known as “Red Bud”
The 12th Green at Augusta National Golf Course, viewed from the Tee.
The Capitol at Night. Watercolour 13 inches by 10.
For many years I travelled to Washington on business and enjoyed many happy times there.
I saw a photo the other day that reminded me so much of those exciting times and the friends that I made there over the years.
So today I thought maybe a quick watercolour would be a fun thing to do and true enough all those memories came flooding back.
I haven’t visited Washington for a few years now but the view across to the Capitol is one of my lasting memories.
If you were one on the many who shared those times with me I hope you too have fine memories of this great City.
Anyway I hope you all like this effort to capture that evening scene.
Happy Travelling – and – a Very Happy Christmas to you all and Best Wishes for the New Year.
Brian
Some friends’ recent holiday to the Canadian Rockies and our trip a few years ago to Yosemite have inspired me to try to paint a few mountain scenes.
Using their, and my own photos, from these trips here are just 3 watercolours of those places.
Our trip to Yosemite was amazing, such scale and grandeur is hard to beat. and our friends photos of their Canadian trip reminds me that the West of Canada is still on our “bucket list”
I hope you enjoy this short post , I found producing these paintings a lot of fun, and maybe a visit one day? Lets hope so.
Happy travelling
Brian
El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Watercolour 14 inches by 10.
Sunset at Lake Moraine in the Canadian Rockies. Watercolour 16 by 12 inches.
Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. Watercolour 13 inches by 9.
Hi there,
The vast plains and mountains in the centre of the USA have always fascinated me. In my many visits to the USA I flew over many areas like this but alas did not have much time to vist them in person.
Recently a Photographer and fellow Blogger, Mitch Zeissler, published this great photograph of Mount Calowahcan in Montana.
You really should go and see his excellent photos at his Blog http://www.exploratorius.us – they are always inspiring and interesting.
Mitch has kindly allowed me to “borrow” his photo as the subject of this Post, one of a series on “Places that I would really like to Visit” . Thanks Mitch!
I hope you like it, maybe I will get there one day!
Mount Calowahcan –Mission Mountains,Montana, by permission of Mitch Zeissler. Watercolour 18 inches by 7 painted on Hahnemuhle 450 matt watercolour paper.
Happy Travelling
Brian
The 12th Hole at Augusta National Golf Course
Hi Everybody
Some time ago I posted about “Places that I would like to visit”. The first one was of Lake Bled, Bellagio and New Zealand and my thanks to those who enjoyed seeing the paintings and the post.
This is the second in this occasional series of watercolours of places that I do hope to visit one day.
This post is about The Master Golf Championship at Augusta in Georgia in the USA, and the far North West of Scotland.
Being a keen golfers for many years I have watched the Masters Golf each year and that yearning to visit returns each year. It isn’t just for the golf ,the course looks both amazing and very beautiful at this time of year with flowers and Azaleas in full bloom.
From a photo, taken of the TV screen, I painted the watercolour above, a few years ago, which I hope you will like.
Maybe one day I will visit but until then just watching and painting has to be enough!
By next Sunday we will know who is this year’s Winner and Augusta National will disappear from our screens for another year but the memory of the course will remain. Good luck to all the golfers who are playing this magnificent course.
The second pair of paintings were gifts to some friends who love to spend time in the far North West of Scotland, near Durness and Cape Wrath. Painted from photos they try to capture the beautiful coastline at Balnakiel Bay and Sandwood Bay. The coastline of Britain is spectacular and these two parts of Scotland are more places that I would like one day to get to.
Balnakiel Bay near Durness in Scotland
Sandwood Bay on the North West coast of Scotland
I’ll just add them to my bucket list!
Happy painting, Travelling and Golfing!
Brian
Jan 16
This gallery contains 14 photos.
If you have been looking at my blog in the past or if its your first time here, may I wish you all a Very Happy New Year. This year I am going to try to blog some watercolours a little more often than in the past, however that will also depend on the time […]
Many thanks Kathryn. Faversham is often overlooked and is rather nice I always appreciate your comme
Brian, these paintings are all lovely but my favourites are the first - Barges at Standard Quay and
Many thanks, glad you liked them,I enjoyed hearing about your Aegean trip Brian
Hi Brian, lovely paintings. Faversham is just 20 minutes away from us, it a lovely place to walk and
Hi Kathryn I hope you can get back painting soon. We are managing to return to some real normality a
Hi Kathy Many thanks It’s the third time we have been to York and Yorkshire It is very nice part of
These are great, Brian. Love the ones of York! So glad you're traveling again!
Lovely scenes - so light filled. Sounds like a wonderful excursion with lots of subject material. Sa
