The most challenging part of painting in Scandinavia was the relatively low light from the sun, it kind of always felt like morning even in the middle of the day. The other issue is that the cities are very dense and lined with 6 or 7 story apartments which cast shadows. I finally found some good locations to sit where the sun was on me, and the sun was evident in the picture. I did not want to produce paintings that looked drab and overcast, although it was still important to capture truth to the image. In this example the sun was setting, and the apartments in the distance and on the mountain top were highlighted.
The additional challenge for a watercolour painter in these low light, humid conditions is that the paint doesn't dry fast. At first I tried to use multi-layer techniques, but it was taking too long to dry. If you inspect this painting you can see especially in the silhouetted building in the front, several bleed-overs (when two washes run together) that were un-planned. As I continued to paint pictures there I adjusted the strategy by trying to get the effect with a single layer. This requires more experience, you need to judge accurately on the first try your colours and values, but in the end it makes the painting look a lot fresher.
Gothenburg Sweeden, Trees and Apartments 11 x 7.5" cold press. 2010 (No. 1221-1)
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