Hiking Trails in Watercolor

With spring in full bloom here in the Pacific Northwest, it hasn’t taken me long to get back out hiking in the forests. I have attached five new art prints I created of local hiking trails. I used a watercolor technique depicting five different aspects of three of the local hiking trails.

The first one is a trail that takes you from the valley floor outside of North Bend in the mountains just west of the Seattle metropolitan area to a panoramic ledge overlooking that same valley called Rattlesnake Ledge.

Trail Up To Rattlesnake Ledge

From start to finish this particular hike is the most dramatic of the ones I’m sharing today, so I have included a capture I took looking out at Rattlesnake Ledge. Note the lower right hand where you see people on this trail coming out to the ledge.

From there I take you onto Cougar Mountain which is located in the Issaquah, Washington area. Issaquah is an eastern suburb of Seattle at the foot of the Cascade Mountain Range. Below are two art prints depicting different aspects of that hike.

The Trail

A Trail In The Forest

And then from there I take you up to the northern part of the Seattle metropolitan area in Everett. This trail is located in a park along Possession Sound, so this particular forest is right along the water which you lose sight of once you start the hike.

Hiking Trail Winding Through The Trees

The Path Through The Woods

Thoughts? As I have said before, everyone reacts to visual art techniques and looks differently, so I am not in the least offended by opinions. 

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Rogue River Pavilion

This week I’m going to start with one of the finished art prints and the capture that inspired it. Next, using the same subject matter, but slightly different framing of it and the resulting three different prints and the original capture that inspired them.

The first one is titled The Pavilion By The River Sketched. The setting in all of the following examples is a natural reserve along the Rogue River in Rockford, Michigan.

The Pavilion By The River Sketched

Next is the photographic capture that inspired the sketched print in color.

Rogue River Pavilion 1

For the sketched version, I liked the idea of including the lamppost in the final sketch.

The next three art prints were inspired by another photo of the same subject. I like the way it centered the entrance bridge. In the first one, I used a gothic painting technique which focused on the earth tones of the setting and the general appearance of the structure. This creates an overall look without all of the details of the setting.

The Pavilion By The River In Gothic Oil

When I see a lot of detail in one of my captures, I always explore what it looks like as a black and white photograph. I liked the way this approach highlights all of the detail of the pavilion and the natural surroundings (the photographs were taken during the winter months – thus the detail of the leafless tree branches).

The Pavilion By The River

This approach then inspired me to create the same view in a sketched black and white art print.

Riverside Pavilion

And then finally the original capture that inspired this series.

Rogue River Pavilion 2

Thoughts? As I have said before, everyone reacts to visual art techniques and looks differently, so I am not in the least offended by opinions. 

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Two Oregon Covered Bridges – Two Types of Watercolor

I did a photoshoot of covered bridges in Oregon a few years back. I wanted to share the original captures of two of the bridges I shot. I then turned them both into two versions of watercolor prints. The first version is a soft watercolor technique (a more traditional look) and the second version is an abstract watercolor technique (a more contemporary look).

The original capture of Neal Lane Covered Bridge –

Neal Lane in a soft traditional watercolor –

The Short Covered Bridge

Neal Lane in an abstract contemporary watercolor –

Covered Bridge In Watercolor

The original capture of Horse Creek –

Horse Creek Covered Bridge

Horse Creek in a soft traditional watercolor –

The Red Roof Covered Bridge

Horse Creek in an abstract contemporary watercolor –

Covered Bridge With Red Roof

Thoughts? As I have said before, everyone reacts to visual art techniques and looks differently, so I am not in the least offended by opinions. 

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Abstract Ocean Sunsets And Full Moon Set

I’ve been sharing this year some of the photographs that have been the inspiration or original version of my art prints. This week I’m sharing my abstract art interpretation of two coastal sunsets and one coastal moon set. All three are along the Pacific Ocean coastline…one in San Diego County and two in Northern California.

The first one is based on an actual photograph of a sunset I captured from the bedroom deck of our house. Our neighborhood was built on a ridge of hills that was located next to the Carlsbad Water District retention pond (Carlsbad is a coastal community in Northern San Diego County). I mention that because the bulk of the land to support that retention pond was a wide open field that will never be developed. It afforded all of the homes along the western front of the neighborhood great ocean views. The house we raised our girls in was at the end of a cul-de-sac that was on that western edge of the development affording us a view of the coastline and the Pacific Ocean.

Carlsbad, California Ocean Sunset

Using this photograph I did a digital re-creation of the scene for my Abstract Art Gallery.

Orange Ocean Sunset

The next two art prints were created from memory, again using abstract art as the focus of the creation. The two depictions came from memory of coastal scenes in Northern California that really stuck with me. The first one is a sunset with a typical evening marine layer of clouds coming in just before the sun actually set. The low clouds would part sporadically and allow the setting sun to shine through.

Blue Abstract Sunset

The next one was a full moon setting as a marine layer started rolling in. The low clouds would part sporadically and allow the setting moon to shine through very similar to the setting sun creation above.

Abstract Coastal Moon Setting

Thoughts? As I have said before, everyone reacts to visual art techniques and looks differently, so I am not in the least offended by opinions. 

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The Flamingo Family

In these series of prints, I used photographic captures from a flamingo exhibit at the LA Zoo as an inspiration for the poses. I then drew each flamingo pose in Adobe Photoshop and filled the drawings with an abstract watercolor look. I then took the series of flamingos that I had created as individual art prints and added inspirational words for each one.

Faith – Flamingo Eating In Abstract

Hope – Prancing Flamingo Abstract

Peace – Neck To The Ground Abstract Flamingo

Family – Flamingo Flock In Abstract

Thoughts? As I have said before, everyone reacts to visual art techniques and looks differently, so I am not in the least offended by opinions. 

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Seven Art Prints – One Bible Verse

Over the last few weeks I have been sharing how I work with and create different art looks from an original photographic capture of mine. This week I’m sharing the different prints I felt worked well with one particular bible quote from John 13:34. The verse is very simple and speaks volumes to how we should interact with each other. Each particular print spoke to me as a background to this verse. There’s seven total and I usually don’t do that many with the same verse, but this time I felt the need to.

Love Each Other Sky

Love Each Other Simple Beauty 

Love Each Other Red Rose Bloom

Love Each Other One Candy Cane Rose Bud 

Love Each Other Watercolor Rose Bloom
 

Love Each Other Two Poppies

Love Each Other Red Single Stem

Thoughts? As I have said before, everyone reacts to visual art techniques and looks differently, so I am not in the least offended by opinions. 

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Happy Holidays 2023

May your holiday season be filled with Love, Peace and Joy!

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Two Sailboats On Bellingham Bay – Art Print of the Week

Two Sailboats On Bellingham Bay is an art print I created using a traditional watercolor technique. The setting is Bellingham Bay in the state of Washington. The scene depicts a rainy day on the bay highlighted by a rainbow.

Two Sailboats On Bellingham Bay

The original inspiration for this print is the photographic capture below. I took the two sailboats on the left side of the frame as the basis for my watercolor. From that point I then redid the background creating the rainbow to add a touch of color and soften the overall look.

Two Sailboats On Bellingham Bay Original Capture

Thoughts? As I have said before, everyone reacts to visual art techniques and looks differently, so I am not in the least offended by opinions. 

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The Bluffs And The Beach – Art Print of The Week

The Bluffs And The Beach

The Bluffs And The Beach is a watercolor art print of one of the beaches lining the shores of Carlsbad, California. The capture is looking south towards San Diego. I thought the scene would look great as a watercolor art print creating a soft subtle look.

The inspiration is the following capture I have featured in my color photography gallery. The setting is beautiful, so hard not to be able to do it justice. The photograph itself is stunning and depicts the scene with more acute details. Both have their place as art prints, each offering a different overall look.

The Bluffs At The Beach

Thoughts? As I have said before, everyone reacts to visual art techniques and looks differently, so I am not in the least offended by opinions. 

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Balloon Setup – Art Print of The Week

Balloon Setup

Balloon Setup is an art print I created using a subtle watercolor technique. The technique focuses on the bright colors of the hot air balloons and uses bold lines for the prominent subject matter. The bold reds, blues, oranges, greens and yellows take center stage. The setting is a group of hot air balloons getting ready for their sunset ascent. The location is in San Diego County near the coast of the Pacific Ocean. 

Having shared the setting, I also wanted to share the original photograph that inspired this particular piece. I based this on the attached photograph that I took back in 2007. My wife and I were getting ready to go on a balloon ascent and the “launching site” was packed with a number of balloons being prepped for their ascent. I thought the process was fascinating and one you rarely see depicted. I snapped the following photo in a rush as we were being escorted to our launching site. The original was taken with a small film camera (thus the lack of quality on the original shot). The picture itself isn’t so great, but it was enough for me to create this art print.

Balloon Set Up Inspiration

Thoughts? As I have said before, everyone reacts to visual art techniques and looks differently, so I am not in the least offended by opinions. 

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