One painting turns into another

Winter landscape, watercolour

When I started this picture, I wanted to make the cloudy sky the main focus of the composition, but as the painting developed, I felt there was something lacking. I therefore decided to add the trees to the right, which gave me the opportunity to paint a foreground shadow. I feel the painting has a satisfying balance now, but of course is no longer about the sky.

Sometimes we have to listen to what the painting is telling us and react to what is happening on the paper. And of course there is always another day to paint a moody sky.

Wettsteinbrücke Basel

This is the first time I am painting on Khadi paper (A3 rough). It feels more absorbent than Saunders Waterford or Bockingford paper and tears more easily when using masking fluid. Some of the paper fibres lift when painting, which can cause a mottled effect. I feel this paper is therefore not suited for traditional watercolour paintings and is maybe better for an impressionistic style, where unpredictable effects don't mar the painting.

Near the bottom of the painting is one of the iconic ferries that cross the Rhine in Basel. They are attached to a cable that spans the river and are dragged from one bank to the other by the current of the water.

White Roses in a Vase

Watercolour of white roses

White flowers are quite hard to paint in watercolour without losing the delicate quality of the petals. It is important to choose a shadow colour that doesn't destroy their freshness. As these white roses had a yellow cast to the white, I chose yellow for showing their form.

For the design, I planned to paint some negative and positive shapes; I am particularly pleased with the lower left corner, which I painted wet-in-wet.

A Turkey

Truthahn Aquarell

The model for this painting lives in an animal park in Zofingen, Switzerland. I have photographed him before but never captured him, just as he was strutting and showing his awesome display of brightly patterned feathers.

I knew I wanted to paint the bird in an expressive rather than realistic way and therefore chose not to include a background, other than a few washes.

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Das Vorbild für diesen Truthahn lebt in einem Tierpark auf dem Heiteren in Zofingen. Ich habe ihn schon einmal im vorjährigen Herbst fotografiert, aber dieses Jahr war ich rechtzeitig mit dem Apparat zur Hand, als er ein Rad schlug. Dabei zeigen sich die Formen und Farben seines Gefieders erst recht. Mit meinem Aquarell versuchte ich eine Interpretation davon und war nicht an einer realistischen Wiedergabe interessiert.

Painting of Niklaus Thut Fountain, Zofingen

Niklaus Thut Brunnen

Quite a few Swiss towns have colourful fountains with statues of saints or medieval legendary figures. The statue on this fountain (erected in 1894) is Niklaus Thut, who was Zofingen's Schultheiss (similar to a mayor) in the 14th century.

He died at the Battle of Sempach in 1386, having fought on the side of the Habsburgs against the Swiss. Why Zofingen chooses to celebrate a defeat and backing the "wrong" side with this fountain is a bit of a mystery! He is best known, however, for swallowing the Zofingen flag to save it from being captured by the enemy, which has made him a local hero.

I enjoyed painting the different reds, purple and greens in this subject.

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Dieser Brunnen ist Niklaus Thut gewidmet, der im 14. Jahrhundert Schultheiss in Zofingen war. 1386 führte er Zofinger Soldaten in die Schlacht von Sempach, und zwar auf der Seite von Habsburg und gegen die Eidgenossen. In derselben Schlacht verlor er auch sein Leben. Der Legende nach kam Niklaus Thut aber zu Ruhm, indem er die Zofinger Fahne verschluckte, um sie vor den Feinden zu retten. 1894 wurde ihm deshalb von einer Studentenverbindung ein Brunnen errichtet, um diese Tat zu ehren. Es ist eigentlich erstaunlich, dass die Zofinger hier einer Schlacht gedenken, bei der sie auf der 'falschen' Seite kämpften und auch noch verloren...

Auf jeden Fall gefielen mir die lebhaften Farben des Brunnens, die ich in meinem Aquarell ausdrücken wollte.

Zofingen Old Town, Altstadt Zofingen

Altstadt Zofingen

Zofingen (Switzerland) is a town that still has a town wall, formed by a ring of houses encircling the town centre. This is part of the town wall, and what looks like a tower is really only a facade and probably not nearly as old as it looks.

The Old Tannery, Watercolour

Die alte Gerbe, watercolour

The many wooden shutters on these buildings in the old town of Zofingen made a great subject to paint. The shutters on the right hand building gave me the opportunity to paint in colourful greys. This used to be a tannery in the last century and still belongs to the same family; now there are residential flats upstairs and a business on the ground floor. The tannery, Gerberei Friderich, still exists and has long since moved out of the old town.

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Dies ist ein Aquarell der Bärengasse in Zofingen. Das rechte Gebäude ist die Alte Gerbe. Mir gefielen, wie die vielen Fensterläden ihre Schatten warfen, was mir die Gelegenheit gab, für die Grautöne entsprechende Farben zu finden.

Die Gerbe ist auch heute noch im Besitz der Gründerfamilie Friderich. Während dies heute ein Wohnhaus mit einem Geschäft im Erdgeschoss ist, war es noch im frühen zwanzigsten Jahrhundert eine Gerberei. Dieses Foto um 1900 zeigt die Rückseite des Hauses, wo auf der Veranda Leder trocknen. Im Hintergarten waren auch die Gruben, wo die Felle bearbeitet wurden. Der Geruch war vielleicht nicht besonders angenehm!

Alte Gerbe, Zofingen

Die Gerberei Friderich  gibt es auch heute noch, ist jetzt aber ausserhalb der Altstadt gelegen.