Warning: Constant automattic\jetpack\extensions\social_previews\FEATURE_NAME already defined in /home/adventur/french-holt.com/wp-content/plugins/jetpack/extensions/blocks/social-previews/social-previews.php on line 14

Deprecated: Hook custom_css_loaded is deprecated since version jetpack-13.5! Use WordPress Custom CSS instead. Jetpack no longer supports Custom CSS. Read the WordPress.org documentation to learn how to apply custom styles to your site: https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/styles-overview/#applying-custom-css in /home/adventur/french-holt.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6085
Watercolor – Matthew French-Holt

Hiking To and Sketching At Ice Lake

A few years ago (5?) I was told to check out Ice Lake and to take a jaunt over to the nearby Island Lake if I get up there. Well, I finally made it. Yesterday morning I headed up into the mountains for a bit of day hiking. It’s a bit of a climb, but oh-so worth it!

Here’s me capturing the view from my lunch spot:

It was pretty chilly and my hands get cold pretty easily, but I needed my right hand free for dexterity…

I’m pretty happy with the results. Taking more time certainly helps, and I tried some new tools (like a bigger brush and gator board for backing).

Family Vacation in Savannah, GA

For a few years now we’ve talked about having a family get-together of some sort. This year we went ahead and reserved a house in Savannah, Georgia. With a few month’s notice and everyone’s buy-in, the family gathering finally happened. It was certainly nice to get together without the event of a funeral or wedding.

Here are some of the sights from the week: Continue reading Family Vacation in Savannah, GA

Bluffs over Durango

Durango sits in a valley, created by the Animas River. So there are magnificent views of the mountains from almost every point in town. This particular view is part of my morning commute into town. I love how the shadows show off the definition of the ridges – but it has to be the right time of day. In the afternoon, everything is flooded by sunlight and is flattened out.

For this morning’s sketch, I sat in the park just a few feet further upstream from the rafting sketches.

An Afternoon at the Animas River

Further down the Animas River from the bridge is a series of rapids that rafters and kayakers love to play in. I took an afternoon break and enjoyed a late lunch before sketching the beginning of the rapids. These are easily accessible from one of the many parks in town.

Trying to get better with my watercolors, so I experimented with adding some color to the sketch.

Of course, since I didn’t have to leave just yet, I didn’t. While sitting a few different rafts came down. I thought they’d be a fun challenge to capture in sketch.

Abstract Watercolor Tree with Einstein Quote

Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.
Einstein

After the Isaac Newton quote in a tree, I wanted to try something a bit different. This tree pushes the process much further, creating the entire image organically rather than painting directly and then altering it a bit. Have to say, I like how it turned out.

Prints and other items available here.

abstract-ish watercolor painting of tree with quote

Rose with Emma Goldman quote

I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.
~ Emma Goldman

After liking the heart so much and running across this quote in my list, I couldn’t help myself from painting this rose. I love having fresh flowers in the RV – they really brighten up any space!

Prints, notebooks, and more available here.

watercolor painting of rose with quote

Watercolor Heart with Seneca Quote

Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.
~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

I’ve always been a list maker and a collector. While playing with my watercolors it only made sense (at least in my head) to combine a drawing with a quote that I’ve saved in one of my lists.

Sometimes it’s easier to start with a quote and create the image that comes to mind. In this case I painted a heart and found an appropriate quote.

Biker in Motion

Playing with my watercolors has been fun, capturing my RV and beloved mountains. I wanted to push a little further, however, to work on a more involved image. What better challenge than one of my most common (and favorite) sights – Ashley riding her bicycle. For the most part, I am quite pleased with the results, though working with a fluid medium in an uncontrolled manner did mean that Ashley appears to be riding with an antenna.