I love the rough delicacy of pine cones but not under your feet!
Susan Wellington ‘Pine Cone Splash’ watercolor on 200 gsm rough paper 17 x 24cm
At the moment the weather’s getting warmer. Perhaps bare feet are in order? But be careful as those tough, woody pine cones litter the ground everywhere. But for their purpose they are truly delicate. The way those hard cones open when they dry out and the delicate triangular shaped seeds fall out to be scattered by the wind is genius.
I’m building up a collection of different shapes and sizes of pine cones in my studio. Memories of my walks in the forest. To me they’re like precious woody jewels.
Finished this watercolor yesterday. It’s inspired by an island in Stockholm called Djurgården, which was the old royal hunting grounds.
‘The Promise’ watercolor on 200gsm Hahnemuhle paper. 17 x 24cm
Now, it’s the big tourist island in Stockholm as the zoo and lots of museums and cafes are there. Though with all that, it’s mainly open woodland surrounded by water, and you really feel like you’re in the country when you’re walking around it.
In the watercolor it’s winter time. The landscape on the island is mainly oaks, beech, elm and maple and you see the trees silhouetted in the distance, here and there, on low hills surrounded by water.
I don’t find winter trees melancholy at all. Walking along you’re enveloped by their branches reaching out and up in delicate and not so delicate arrangements. Letting the sun warm you. The promise of things to come.
