Jamon Iberico

Cutting ham, watercolor 28 x 38 cm

One of my pleasures in Spain was tasting freshly sliced ham.
The challenge here was to simplify a very busy scene with many colors, objects and light sources. The obvious way to go was to use just a few colors. In this case:  ultramarine blue, yellow ocher, quinacridone red and burned sienna. I ignored the actual background and also tried to use only four or five values. A preliminary charcoal sketch helped me figure these out. I like the contrasts that this produced.

Memories from Madrid

Plaza Mayor, watercolor 38 x 28 cm

Boulevard in Madrid, watercolor 28 x 38 cm

Puerta del Sol, watercolor 56 x 38 cm

Back to my dreams

Sea and sand, watercolor on Arches CP 140 lb, 38 x 28 cm

You must have guessed by my subject that it is snowing again... Everyone is tired of complaining about the weather and now it is a subject of constant jokes. "Marry Christmas!" has replaced "Good Morning!". We haven't seen the ground for four months now. I know that under the snow cover, there are snowdrops. Maybe we'll see them in April. In the mean time, this sunny painting is going on my wall.

Sea sunset, watercolor on Arches CP 140 lb, 38 x 28 cm

A change of tactic

Winter Fields 1, watercolor 26 x 18 cm

Winter Fields 2, watercolor 26 x 18 cm

It occurred to me that maybe Winter would be more inclined to bow and leave the stage if I showed some respect. So, "Dear Winter, your performance this year was so exceptional, you managed to impress even the most indifferent observers! I admit that the snow-covered fields do have their charm."
These are two scenes from a little area on my daily commute to work that still resists the building sprawl.

Another beach scene

At the beach, watercolor  on Arches 300 g, 56 x 37 cm

We had a "heat-wave" yesterday, when the thermometer reached 0 C. Today it plunged back below -10 C and so this endless winter continues. And I continue to be in denial, imagining warm and happy times...