Fall Watercolors 2021

The below painting measuring 15" x 22" was painted on Winsor & Newton Watercolor paper. It was old watercolor paper that had been deeded to me. I wasn't impressed the first time I used it a while back, but I felt it worked quite well with this painting I call, "Palmer Pioneer Barn".

This is another Watercolor Sketch painted on cheap drawing paper. I paint quickly and try not to use much water because the paper is so thin, but still the paper buckles. It is basically a portrait of the Knik River valley. In the distant, not rendered, is where the Kink glacier located. 

This painting is of Wasilla, Alaska during the 1950s. The vintage cars fascinated me, I owned a car similar to the vehicle in the middle. I was also intrigued by the fact that the roads had not been paved yet.

Below is a watercolor about fall in the Matanuska Valley, north of Anchorage. It is a small lake near where I live that has rainbow trout in it. I have fished there many times and have not done so well. I felt like I needed a boat.The Alaskan sunsets there are stunning. The fishing can be good though. I witnessed a native Alaskan Fellow catch a huge 19 inch rainbow trout. He was fishing right next to me when he caught it. I vowed to go back the next evening and fish, but I got Covid. This is a nice painting. I sold it right away when I displayed it online.

This next fishing scene is about fishing on the Knik river in Alaska during the "Silver" run in August. A friend of mine who is an expert angler took me fishing. Each time we went the weather was different. This day was foggy. Quiet and peaceful. I painted this on 12" x 14" sketch paper using two colors, Ultra Marine Blue and Burnt Sienna. I also added touches of white gouache on the ripples and gravel shoreline.

Summer 2021

For summer I will start out with a flower, a red poppy, I painted for a notecard set that is available on my ETSY site, KenHarrisWatercolors. Click here to visit my shop, https://www.etsy.com/shop/KenHarrisWatercolors?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

It looks really nice printed on a notecard with a simple white background. These are not only beautiful cards, they are a unique and make a great gift. I painted the red poppy using wet and dry brush techniques.

The watercolor below I painted in August, 2021. It won a Premium 2nd Place in the professional Category at the Alaska State Fair this year. It measures 15" x 22" and is painted on Arche Watercolor paper. It is entitled, Matanuska Valley Sunrise. It is a view from the Palmer Hay Flats with the sun rising behind Pioneer Peak in the background. 

This is a unique view of Palmer, AlaskaI painted from a watercolor sketch of three other interpretive views of the Palmer Water Tower.

This is a painting of Matanuska Peak which I can sometimes see from my house.

Below is a watercolor sketch I did in Palmer, Alaska one day on location (plein air).

This is a quick watercolor sketch I did from my front porch one morning in the Matanuska Valley also considered Plein Air.

The above watercolor was a quick watercolor for a very small class I was teaching. I liked the design, thus I am showing it to you.

One more, which I did actually in 2020. I painted this quickly on student drawing paper. You have to paint dry because the paper does not handle water well. It is a man fishing in Alaska based on my own experiences and imagination. Is imagination a bunch of memories creatively rearranged?

Winter 2021

Winter in Alaska is interesting–it is very cold as well as beautiful beautiful. Especially the color of the sun on the snow. It's all about the light! The image below is one of my notecard paintings. It is of Forgrt-Me-Not. I sell watercolor notecards with blank insides so people can send a note! I saw a slogan the other day that basically said, "Send a Notecard and Brighten Somebody's Mail Box, not their In Box."

The painting below is about southern California. It is a commission I did recently of The San Clemente pier in Orange County, California.

Below is another commission I just completed a few weeks ago. It is about a morning sunset at Cape May, New Jersy. I enjoyed making this painting.

The fishing boat is from a photo I saw on FB. It is a fishing vessel docked at Newport, Oregon. It is sketch I did in my sketch book.

This next is a rerun. It is from a photo a friend of mine took in France. I suspect it is near Giverny.