Watercolor and Ink Landscape Painting from Lake District in Cumbria, UK

Cumbria, England is a remarkably scenic area abounding with blue mountains, lush green meadows enclosed by stone walls and sheep grazing on the hillsides.

I painted this Cumbria landscape several years ago as a 5x7 watercolor. This time, I will paint it at 8x10 using ink with watercolor. It's wonderfully fun! Keep reading to see how.

Watercolor Landscape Demonstration of a Farm Pond, FieldsThe and Apple Tree

Sometimes when a commission request comes in, one never knows where it will lead. I was excited to paint a watercolor landscape of a farm pond and field. The client ordered it as a Christmas gift for her husband since her family's farm is his favorite get-away.

When she showed the painting to her female family members, they wanted to give their men an original of the scene for Christmas too. So I got to paint it three times! And no two came out exactly alike.

I took pictures of the progress, but some pics are from one painting and some from another. So if you follow how I painted the scene, you may notice variations. But it's basically the same. You can click on any image to see it larger. Here's what I did:

Great Blue Heron Autumn Landscape Lake Painting Watercolor Demo on Yupo Paper

Blue herons are a favorite of mine. I had taken a photo one autumn of a heron by the water's edge and have been meaning to paint it. No surprise I want to try this scene using watercolor on Yupo paper (my newest fav) to see what will happen.

To follow the exciting progress and see the final version, read on...

Sunset Reflections - Landscape Oil Painting

Sunsets are a calm, peaceful scene for a painting. You can almost feel the world slowing down - the birds singing their end of day songs, the crickets chirping and owls hooting in the woods or the fireflies' silent flickering lights.

"Sunset Reflections" was requested by a client from Texas. Her beautiful photo is the inspiration for this painting. To see the completed piece click here - or keep reading to see how I painted this piece in 8 steps.

'The Little Tree in Winter' and Cardinals original watercolor painting

Trees! When you've been drawing trees every single day for a month, it's natural that a tree painting will result.
Recently I went for a walk by a nearby farm. It was evening and the sun had painted the sky a rosy color beneath deep ultramarine clouds. One lone tree caught my eye. I studied the scene then went home to paint it from memory.

Read on to see how I did this painting, or skip to the finished piece here:  The Little Tree watercolor painting.

Nelson Lake Custom Landscape Painting in Watercolor

Detail of "Nelson Lake" watercolor

Nelson Lake is a beautiful lake in northern Ontario. The client's family owned property right on the water for decades and she wanted a special gift for her parents. So she ordered a watercolor of the lake as viewed from the property. What a great idea!

Read along and I'll show you how I paint the full scene below. You can click the images to see them larger. Or skip to the finished piece.

Trout Stream Watercolor River Painting

Trout Stream fine art print

Have you ever sat beside a stony stream and watched it flow, listening to it bubble and gurgle over the rocks? Peaceful, isn't it? I think that is part of the allure of fishing. The last commission I did, "Our River" in oils, reminded me of such a place.  It inspired me to do a watercolor of a similar stream and add a fish rather than a fisherman.

Autumn in the Air

Here it is September already! The air is feeling nippy lately with a hint of autumn to come. It reminds me of August in the mountains.

Autumn Blaze - fine art print on canvas or paper

Every day when I go for a walk, I notice more and more leaves on the ground. Some of the smaller trees are beginning to turn yellow and red.

Mother Nature is preparing for a winter's sleep. The geese, their young ones fledged, are flocking together before the long flight South. I hear them honking overhead throughout the day and occasionally at night. All the birds are gathering.

Birches at White Lake in Autumn Watercolor Painting

"Birches at White Lake in Autumn"

White Lake in New Hampshire is beautiful. It has a completely white sand bottom from one end to the other formed by a glacier long ago, and the water is crystal clear.

The lake inspired this painting of birch trees in autumn. But there is a lot of imagination sprinkled throughout, so hunt though you might, you will not find this exact spot!  I hope you like it nonetheless.

White Birch Watercolor Painting on Panel

Trying something new today!  A new panel that can be used for watercolor or oil paints. The panel is not available for sale yet, I was asked to test it out.

It is made from True Gesso panels, which are wonderful, archival panels. This version has a special coating (which I am not privy too, unfortunately) that allows different mediums to be used.

So let's see how a birch tree painting turns out with this.

Autumn Glory II - A Fall River Painting in Watercolor

If you have been following my blog for any length of time, you will probably recognize this scene. It is inspired by the stony rivers and streams that run through New England and the glorious autumn color that sets the countryside ablaze in fall.

I have painted this scene three times in oil (twice with birch trees) and once prior to this in watercolor. Though the scene is the same, each time the painting is different. The size is one factor, the medium is another. Mostly it is because the way I approach a painting changes.

This particular watercolor is 11x14 and is a companion piece for the Fall Reflections watercolor I did recently. They were both requested as a commission. So let's see how I painted this watercolor!

Scotland Highlands Landscape Oil Painting

Would you like to go to Scotland?

My sister and her husband took a trip to Scotland several years ago. The photos she took were just beautiful. (And now I want to go!) This painting  is inspired by one of her photos taken when looking northwest at sunset over Loch Leven from Ballachulish, Scotland.

I painted a 5x7 inch watercolor of this scene from the Scottish Highlands at that time and I like it so much that now I'd like to paint it in oils on 8x10 inch panel.

Come along with me and we'll paint our way to Scotland!

Marble Canyon, British Columbia Watercolor Landscape Painting

"Marble Canyon" original watercolor - for sale in my Original Art Shop

I love this view of Marble Canyon in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. The water is an incredible pale blue-green color and paired with the golds and oranges of autumn, it is even more spectacular.
A friend took a trip there (lucky him because it is a gorgeous place) and let me use his photo as inspiration for a painting.

Birches in Nova Scotia - Painting an Oil Landscape

On the easel today is a canvas just waiting for a scene from Nova Scotia to be finished.

I'm looking for a peaceful scene that invokes the feeling of crisp clear air, the scent of the sea, mountains in the distance and flowers wildly blooming in the foreground. And birch trees.

I've already started with a muted sky, a bit of yellow at the horizon and the hazy look of blue mountains. I don't really have to leave white space for the trees. I could wait for all this to dry and then paint over it, but I don't think I can wait!

Let's see how the painting progresses from start to finish. Pictures can be clicked to see them larger...

Yellow Barn in Springtime - Watercolor custom painting

Here you see a photograph of a yellow barn in the snow. We have not had much snow in my area this winter and I did not take the photo. But Canada has had some snow. One of my Canadian collectors who has a nice collection of my barns in various seasons asked for a painting of a barn in Springtime.

She took a picture of this yellow barn since this is the barn she would like. We're going to make this a Springtime painting. Ready?

Autumn Barn Painting Chrysanthemums at the Farm Stand

This pretty scene is from a farm stand in a nearby town. I was driving by one sparkling autumn day and the banks of colorful mums caught my eye. So I stopped and, while the crowds of people were shopping for pumpkins and flowers, I took pictures!

These mums were on a large cart with a red barn in the distance. Let's take a look below at how I painted this scene.

Autumn Glory Original Watercolor Landscape Painting

October arrives and with the cool weather, you feel the urge to go North as the birds are flying South. Fall beckons you to places far from the maddening swirl of everyday life where the only sound is a brook running along a stony bed, the only sight a wild landscape alive with the glorious hues of Autumn.

I'll show you how I painted this scene. It took me three tries to get this painting just the way I want it - fresh, spontaneous and impressionistic. One never stops learning as an artist!

Paper Birches in Autumn watercolor paintings

More birches! These two are very nice together and, in fact, I painted them at the same time with the same palette of primary colors - one that works especially well with autumn paintings: cadmium red, french ultramarine blue and cadmium yellow.

The scene to the left is inspired by a view that I like in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. There is a mountain road that twists and winds through the mountain range from East to West called the Kancamagus Highway.

Along this road on the eastern portion is a stony river. You might see it behind the trees along with a peek at a mountain top in the distance.

White paper birches line the roadside in many places like in this painting which is 7"x5" painted on handmade watercolor paper.

Paper birch trees, with their bright white bark that glows in the sunlight are a favorite of mine. I enjoy painting these lovely trees especially in autumn when the maples and oaks lend color to the background.

To the right is a grouping of four birch trees also 7"x5" and painted on handmade watercolor paper.

Both of the original Birch Tree Paintings are sold.

But fine art prints on watercolor paper or canvas are available in my Fine Art Print shop here: Birch Trees Prints.

Apple Tree Original Watercolor Painting

The apples are red and ripe in this 8"x10" watercolor of an apple tree in a field. It's that time of year again to go apple picking. Just think of coming home with bushels of delicious, crisp, juicy fruit to make apple pie, applesauce, apple cake...and eat apples just as they are straight from the tree!
In any case, that must be what has inspired me to paint this piece.Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have some yummy apples to pick where you are.

The original painting is sold, but you can contact me if you would like to order a print.

Paper Birch Trees in the Mountains - original watercolor painting

Paper birch trees are stunning in a natural setting, especially when there is some fall color as in this scene. In this painting, the white bark of the tree trunks is enlivened by some bright maple leaves from a young sapling growing near them.

This piece was inspired by a group of trees along a mountain path. The trees against the bright autumn leaves caught my eye while I was climbing Mt. Chocorua in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

This painting has been sold, but you can contact me to have one made just for you.

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Looking for something special? Contact me for a custom painting or to have a print made of a painting you like.