Sunday, September 20, 2020

Amsterdam Trip, Water Views, The Netherlands

 

In Amsterdam the canal system runs throughout the entire city so you are never far from water. This scene is actually along the bank of the Amstel river where many house boats, more like floating cottages, are situated. The roof of the closest floating house was covered in grass and flowers, and a bird landing there as I painted. This one was done later in the trip so I had a better sense of how to paint the water. I used a layer of pale purple and overlaid greens purples and browns in short brushstrokes.

 Amstel River Floating Houses, 5.5 x 7.5" hot press, watercolour, August 2018

 

 

This scene was of one of the many canals that feeds into the Amstel river. The apartment building was white plaster but covered in a thin layer of moss giving it a green glow. The rest of the scene was in purples and yellows. The water was done using a similar style to the others, with an under-painting and short colourful brushstrokes to create the illusion of ripples and reflections.

5.5 x 7.5" hot press, watercolour, August 2018

 

 

This looks like a pond but it is the terminus of one of the canals, a great square shaped artificial lake of sorts right next to the conference center (RAI). There were ducks swimming about, which I tried to capture with an over painting technique. Perhaps inspired by Van Gogh, I used a wide variety of brushstrokes here to create different textures in each element. It kind of looks like an oil painting. 

5.5 x 7.5" hot press, watercolour, August 2018

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