Dark clouds over the 'Vlaardingse Vaart' (The Netherlands)

 

Last weekend we had a real Summer storm in our country and as it happened to be the weekend of a birthday party in our family we were celebrating in a nice restaurant near the Vlaardingse Vaart. 

The plan was that we would be on an open terrace, but due to the weather it was covered and closed with glass doors. We still had a nice view of the water and the polder landscape but the wind and rain did not spoil the party mood inside. 

We had a lot of wind and some rain but after the rain I went outside to make some reference pictures. The clouds and the water of the Vaart inspired me, not to mention the flat grasslands and reeds on the other bank of the Vlaardingse Vaart.

For this watercolour I have used a limited palette, the colours were chosen to capture the mood of that stormy Summer's day.

The information about the materials I have used, the size of this watercolour painting and its availability can all be found in my Tumblr blog. If you are interested in my original artworks, please contact me.

Medieval barn - a summer storm scene

In our country we have a long history, going back to the Stone Age or even sooner. Many objects were found in the earth and in old river beds and even in places where there used to be a sea. The real archaeological objects are kept in museum conditions, but in several places, most of them easy or even freely accessible some of the buildings are reconstructed.
These reconstructions are life size and very picturesque.

For this watercolour I was inspired by the reconstruction of a Medieval barn. This barn has windows that can be closed by shutters that are held by ropes to make them shelves that can display goods for sale or... I was not there in the Medieval times so I cannot be sure of the purpose of this structure. It did look nice and I have tried to sketch and paint it.

The barn was made of unpainted wood which had already turned grayish with time. The thatched roofing also turned dark and grayish, so the roof and the walls were almost the same colour. The overall impression was that of a weather beaten structure and I have tried to depict that atmosphere.
Because the Medieval times are also called the Dark Ages, I have given the sky a stormy appearance. The trees, bushes and grasses are only suggested to create an imaginary landscape for my barn.

Again I enjoyed painting this scene and I am happy with the result.

More information about this watercolour painting (materials used, size, availability, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 

Chapel - a summer storm

Another Chapel painting inspired by the season and the weather we are having now in The Netherlands. Over the last few weeks we have had a lot of thunderstorms, heavy rains with (temporarily) flooding  and the view I have from my little studio inspired me to paint.

The little Chapel we saw on the top of a hill in Germany during our short vacation last October is a 'willing subject' for paintings like this. 
The weather and the colours that will appear in the landscape are my starting point and I create an imaginary landscape according to the atmosphere I want to depict. 
There always are a hilltop, a path and the Chapel, but everything else can and will be changed according to the needs of the painting I want to make.

This time there is a hill with some trees and bushes behind it and another hill further away in the background. Summer has arrived, so there are a lot of greens in the grass, combined with some dry areas where the grass turned to straw and I have added some brighter yellows for the flowers that have to be there.
The dark clouds also darken the landscape, only the flash of lightning makes the details visible - for a short time.

More information about this watercolour painting (size, materials used, availability, contact information, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com