Happy Holidays

Wishing you all a meaningful and happy Christmas. 

And  may your New Year be filled with lots of joy and happiness. 

Take care.

Pushkin's Cottage

Alexander Pushkin is a Russian poet that was exiled in Chisinau, Moldova. Last summer, while on holiday in that country, we visited the museum that was named after him. In the museum is the cottage where he lived. It was from one of the photos I made that I based the above painting.

A front yard rose in our neighborhood

Watercolor, 21x29.7 cm

This rose flower is not yet fully opened but it's petals are already beginning to wilt, with dark brownish color on their edges. Probably because it is one of the last blooms of the season, and the weather is becoming unpleasant. Saw this flower during one of our walking exercises around our neighborhood along Hulsmaatstraat street.

A plate of fruits

 A week ago I didn't know what to paint. Then I thought of our available fruits in the kitchen and then set them up on our breakfast plate. And here is the painting version of that set up.

Abstract rose

I was travelling for half a month in Bucharest, Romania; Chisinau, Moldova; and Kiev, Ukraine. This is one of the reasons why I have no post for a while and not visiting any blog. Another thing is that I was lazy after arriving back from that trip, probably because I was tired. Anyway, I posted this undated rose sketch because I have yet to start a new painting.  

The roses in my mind last week

This is a small piece (6 x 4 inches) which I painted loosely during my painting exercises last week. Painting loosely means I paint directly on paper without pencil sketch or drawing. I enjoy this painting process very much because my hand is not restricted by any drawing lines.

Loose watercolor roses

These past days I have little time to paint. However I managed to do painting exercises in which I produced some loose small paintings, just like these roses.

Two ripe peaches

Before, we usually avoid buying peaches even if there are plenty of them in the supermarket. The reason was that we do not know when they are ready to be eaten. One time we tried, the taste was not good.  However, recently we found out that we need to wait until the fruit is ripe. That is when the peel of the fruit can be easily removed from its flesh.
This painting is in watercolor. I think I should further darken the shadow at the base of the fruits.

'Puntpaprika'

In Dutch, this long red pepper is called Puntpaprika. It is described as having a sweet taste and contains Vitamin C just like an orange. It can be eaten raw or can be prepared just like a usual bell pepper. This painting is done in watercolor.

Back to my watercolor

Single rose in watercolor