Paula’s

Slot canyon on a sunny day. The rocks glow in deep golden and red tones with bright sunshine glistening white on the distant upper canyon walls and a bit of pale blue sky.

Little Wild Horse Canyon, from my own photograph about 15 years ago on a trip to Utah.
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#slotcanyon
#utah

Phoenix Bird with upswept wings and a fierce call rises from ashes.The bird is brilliant shades of reds and oranges with gold leaf highlights throughout.

“Phoenix Rising from the Ashes” is completed. A best girlfriend, lost many years now from breast cancer, used to say she was like the Phoenix. She was fierce in her battle and had great heart. Here’s to Bena!
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#Survivingcancer

My husband and I monitor bluebird nesting boxes at a conservancy property in our area. It is super cool to have a successful brood!

Detail of a Phoenix Bird that is rising from ashes. Also, attempting to depict the power of red. The bird’s beak is open and wing is swept upward, against a background of blues and yellows.

My goal is Phoenix Bird…I may still have Super Chicken. Which is what my husband saw last night. This is a small detail that I hope is getting better. Rising from the ashes, of course, but that still needs more work.
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#practice
#phoenixbird

Abstract portion of a watercolor painting that got stalled out. I like parts of this. Deep gold with streaks amid blue and black tones.

Part of something I like. I haven’t figured out how to proceed, however.
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#abstract
#arttoday

Fire breathing dragon flying towards you with dark sky background.

Dang! I sometimes es forget to tag. Gansai watercolor on some old Torinoko paper I had from years ago.
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#dragons

Fire breathing dragon flying in close! Background is deep dark sky. Wings reflect his flame.

Playing with a dragon…again. Probably need to move on from this.

“Driftwood, Popham Beach” watercolor
A boy sitting on a large driftwood log at Fort Popham, Maine along the Kennebec River as it empties into the ocean. Often see seals here.
#driftwood #watercolor #seaside #pophambeach #art #water #coast #painting

Set on a semi-abstract background with varying shades of yellow, gold, turquoise and blues, offset by a deep sienna tone that may represent fire, two dragons fly together. They are face to face and a quote to the lower left reads: “Not all men were meant to dance with dragons” by George R.R. Martin

More dragons—my previous piece received some many compliments and positive reactions that I realized I ought to go with it a little more!
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#dragons
#funwithart

Love this! Yes—in my part of the world, Illinois, controlled burns are definitely a conservation thing. It helps some seeds actually open and produces are more vibrant array of plants than if it hadn’t been done. It basically mimics the seasonal fires that occurred more naturally back in the day.

Yeah-I’m not smart enough to use cheap paper. 🤣🤣🤣 Always try to figure out the lightest places first. Work from light to dark to start something.

Started with washes and brush strokes. Saw water and then a big swoosh became a leaping fish.

Sometimes starting is the hardest part, but give yourself some opportunities to “play” with no expectations of what it will become. I’ve ended up with some interesting works by starting with random washes on the page and allowing myself to see what is there. Most recent one became a fish!

That’s a lot of rocks! I loved our trip to Alaska in 2024. And I posted my bear yesterday, inspired from my own photographs from Glacier National Park in 2022. I’m a newbie at Instagram and just noticed the comments section. 😝

A mama bear and her cub stand in Spring grasses at a mountain bench with snowy mountain tops behind them. A pair of pine trees reach up from lower left. Symbols of Native American origin are worked into the painting.

Completed watercolor/mixed media, based on a quote by Rick Bass, “The mountains have always been here, and in them, the bears.” Several Native American symbols are worked into the painting.
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#nature
#mountains

A mama bear and her cub in early Spring at high elevation. This section shows the two bears and a couple of the symbols I’ve incorporated, with snowy mountain landscape in the background.

A work in progress. “The mountains have always been there, and with them, the bears.” Quote by Rick Bass. You might see a couple of the symbols I’ve integrated into piece.
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#nature
#mountains
#bears

I am also considering a bear painting soon. I like what you have so far!

A rainbow trout launches into the air to catch a dragonfly. Sun and light are reflected on the water surface in a semi abstract effort at having fun.

The latest effort is surprisingly a rainbow trout launching to catch a dragon fly. Bordering into overworked perhaps. Maybe I’ll try again.
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#nature
#fish

Nailed it!

I also love Gansai watercolors!

Silhouettes created with woven paper painted in watercolor and cut into strips against a line drawing of a mandala with quote laid out.

Colorful interpretation of diversity quote by Maya Angelou with silhouettes against a mandala. Corners contain impressions of elements fire, earth, water and air.

So, a couple photos from my recent project, Tapestry. I failed to add the hashmarks the other day to the finished piece and do t know how much difference it makes, so here goes!
#watercolorart
#watercolor
#diversity
#mayaangelouquote

A colorful interpretation of Maya Angelou quote with silhouettes done in woven paper strips on a background of a mandala. The four corners represent the elements of fire, earth, water and air.

Finished this piece about Diversity. Uses a great Maya Angelou quote which in full reads “we all know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what the color.”

Which came first? The washes or the ink drawing? Well done!

Watercolor painting of a wooden horse looking into the distance. The horse is wearing a small hat, also made of wood.

These majestic wooden horses with fancy hats can be seen in one of Berlins parcs. They're life-sized so you basically can't miss them. Aren't they great? Always love seeing them, so me painting them was only a matter of time. 🐴

#art #watercolor #traditionalart #horse #horseart #landscape #nature

This effect is achieved by drawing with the wax pastels, spraying with water, letting it dry then drawing again over the smudgy background.

This year I enjoyed experimenting with water soluble colour wax pastels. Here is a picture of Crocuses I completed in May 2025.
#ArtAdventCalendar
#AlphabetChallenge
#WeekYforYearPast
#ArtYear
#Art
#Watercolour
#FloralFriday
#FlowersonFriday
#Bloomscrolling

Painting of a forest path in spring.

Spring path.
#Watercolour on paper, 11x14 inches. #Watercolor #YukonArt
Painting of the day 2118.

A white tailed doe stands in the foreground assessing her next move against a snow covered landscape with distant evergreens and a sky of snowy impressions.

A quick little effort today that feels wintery.
#watercolor
#watercolorart
#winterwonderland

A snowy hillside with a line of some evergreens behind, and a little evergreen up front to the right. Some weeds peeking out of the snow.

From class today. A snowy scene in #watercolor, using the salt technique and a palette knife. #art #artist #watercolour #landscape

Forgot to add the hashtags! @watercolors
@watercolor art
@mixed media

A clump of Spring daffodils among a leaf strewn garden patch. In the middle ground on the right is the suggestion of purple hyacinths and a tree in the distance. A quote is pasted on word by word. “My heart found its home long ago in the beauty, mystery, order and disorder of the flowering earth.” Lady Bird Johnson 2002

One more piece for upcoming show at a local coffee shop with another artist. This one was fun—watercolor, pen and paper collage.