Painting

Paint a Winter Sky in Watercolor Using Salt

Art, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor tutorials

I haven’t given up on the salt watercolor technique tutorials yet, although I probably should, since the first salt video that I put on social media was a bit of a flop (so far). But, I’ve got high hopes for this one because it did turn out to be a solid winter landscape painting! The idea of the painting hit me as I was driving the kids to school. The sky at sunrise was beautiful but subtle, as the sun remained hidden behind thick winter clouds, but there was just enough luminosity to have something special to enjoy on our ride to school. On my way back home, I snapped a quick photo on the side of the road and thought; the sky would look even more interesting with a salt effect if were to paint this scene in watercolor.

We have not gotten much snow over the past couple of years so I was excited to actually have snow to include in this winter landscape! The entire play by play for this painting is now available on YouTube (link below). I hope you enjoy!

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Winter Woodland Watercolor Demo

Art, watercolor, watercolor tutorials

Enough W’s in the subject heading? Recently, I’ve been considering making watercolor videos on YouTube….again. Yes, its true – I’ve made a some painting videos before, but admittedly, the production quality wasn’t there. Most importantly, the consistency wasn’t there either, and as a result – I got crushed by the social media algorithm! Life gets in the way, you know?

This isn’t a New Year’s resolution or anything (I don’t believe in those), but I’m giving it another go. I’ve been learning how to use Adobe Premiere Rush – a free video editing app for smartphones or whichever type screen you prefer to peer into. I found it to be a great tool and easy to use. Maybe I’ll upgrade if I stick with producing video content consistently. Who knows!

Anyway, I’ve recorded, edited, and published a new video on YouTube called “Winter Landscape with White Pine Tree – Watercolor Demo”. It is a watercolor painting demonstration, which is hopefully easier and more fun to watch, than my previous videos. The entire production process took about 15+ hours….yes, 15+ hours (maybe more). There is a define learning curve here, but lots of time went into creating the painting, learning how to edit, then actually editing the video, then creating a thumbnail using Canva, and so on. YouTube gurus will tell you to outsource the editing and other tasks, which makes a lot of sense, given how labor intensive it is.

Check out the video (link below) and let me know what you think! Which improvements do you suggest? What other types of watercolor videos would you like to see? I appreciate your time and feedback!

Original painting and prints are also available on ETSY!..

A Walk on the Liberty Loop

Art, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor
Liberty Loop – Watercolor 14”x20”

What’s in the painting?

Not far from our house, is the Liberty Loop path! Located in Pine Island, NY, it is our go-to place for a walk. It is also part of the Appalachian Trail, but completely flat terrain. A hit with walkers (zombies included), this area is also popular among bird watchers and bird photographers, as it is a wildlife refuge with abundant waterfowl habitat. I hope to one day see the Northern Pintail Duck, which can be found here.

Frosty Artifacts Make Great Painting Subject Matter

Art, History, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor
Classic Rusty Truck in Winter

As a family, we love adventuring to Blooming Hill Farm. It is an organic farm located in South Blooming Grove, NY. Salad greens and root veggies are always available there in the middle of winter. The folks that run the place are the best! There are also these old rusty trucks laying around on the property. I’m not sure what the story is, but I’m pretty sure they don’t run anymore. One thing is for sure – they make an excellent subject matter for a watercolor painting!

Here is another old rusty truck painting from Blooming Hill Farm. This painting found a home with our friends Jordan and Miranda.

Another frosty artifact

Local Roads

Art, Life Balance, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor
County Rt 1A

We were driving home one evening on a “school night” *gasp*…the sky really captured my attention. At this time of the day, the greenery, barn, and road are sort of muted in color and tone, as the sky is lit up in the few remaining moments before the sun has set. And so, in this painting the sky becomes “the story” or the point of focus. There’s this feeling of calm at the end of the day… less to do (hopefully), maybe a cup of tea and less TV.