Thread of Thoughts

This mixed media work needs a lot of explaining, because it is my submission to the February challenge of 'Goed Gezien - Goed Bekeken' which was 'Hersenspinsels', a Dutch word that cannot be translated very easily.
I came up with 'thread of thoughts', because that can explain the webbing a bit.
The Dutch 'spinsel' is the result of 'spinning' - a thread. And it can be a spider's web.
The Dutch 'hersen' is 'brain' and the combined word 'hersenspinsel' usually means something you think about, imagine, a train of thoughts, things that are not real.

My thoughts are very often about nice food, so here is my 'thread of thoughts': 
In springtime there will be blossoms, bees and after some months there will be apples, first on the tree, later in my home. Together with ingredients like eggs and flour and the use of the oven I can make apple pie. Which is good with a cup of coffee.

All these elements were drawn, a violet background was painted with watercolour, the elements were coloured with water soluble pencils and all that was secured with fixative.
I have made the lines of a spider's web with silver thread and the line connecting the elements of my 'thread of thoughts' with red embroidery yarn.

The details of the paper, paints, pencils I used and the size, availability and contact information can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 

Waterfall - charcoal drawing

A few years ago I decided I wanted to learn how to paint waterfalls and I started out really good, but after a few watercolour paintings I got distracted and started painting other things.  This is a new attempt at a waterfall and at a mixed media technique I have used a few times.

The reference picture I used was made in October (a few years ago) and the landscape was still very green with grass, moss and the green of a pine tree hanging over.

On a piece of watercolour paper I marked the places that really had to stay white and made an under painting using two shades of green. After that had dried completely I started drawing the scene with charcoal.

The structure of the watercolour paper is important for the result and I have tried to make the very best use of  it.

The broken lines that are created when charcoal is used on this paper help me to suggest more details than I am actually drawing. 

The technique of making a charcoal drawing on structured paper with a watercolour under painting is a nice one and I have to remember to use it more than I have done up to now.

Today's results are what I hope for and I have spent a few hours in my little studio enjoying myself - what more can I wish for?

The details about paper and paint used, size and contact information are at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 

In my garden - Helleborus niger

This year I could not resist  the temptation to paint my 'Christmas Rose' or Helleborus Niger. I have made my reference pictures when the flowers were not even completely opened and made up a nice composition with three flowers and some of the leaves that are surrounding them.

A few weeks ago I have bought a new colour and I wanted to find out what I could and could not do with it. 
The new colour (Caput mortuum violet) is in the background and I have also used the background colour in the mixtures for the stems and leaves. This is not only to bring unity to the whole scene, but also because this colour really is in the stems and the darker spots on the leaves of the plant.

I did not want to make a really dark background to make the white flowers stand out, that is something I have done several years ago. I wanted another approach to the theme of white flowers so there is just a little of the background colour behind the flowers. They still do stand out enough to be seen and the atmosphere of the whole scene is just what I wanted it to be.

The details about paper and paints used, size, availability and contact information can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com