Last Winter Sunset Snow Scene

Last Winter Sunset Snow Scene by Martin Howard (2014)
Watercolour, 30.5 x 40.6 cm, 140 lb fine grain paper.
Bergebo, Borlänge, Sweden.

After a winter of painting snow scenes, you can take the title of this painting two ways. It could mean a sunset snow scene from last winter or could mean this is the last winter sunset snow scene that I intend painting. Well at least from this particular winter. I'm sure by the time the snow starts to fall again, I will be wanting paint snow scenes again. At the start of the winter, I had planned to get some photographs of sunsets reflecting on snow. It was not easy and it usually meant being in the right place at the right time. All the photos I did end up getting were by chance. This painting shows the road leading down from the local skiing area towards the hospital. This tree had a heavy coating of snow and looked quite pretty with the late afternoon orange glow of the sun, lighting up it's branches.

Two Birches

Two Birches by Martin Howard (2016)
Watercolour, 30.5 x 40.6cm, 140 lb Fine grain paper.
Bysjörundan, Kvarnsveden, Borlänge.

A scenic landscape view of a lake with a birch  tree on either side. This is Bysjörundan nature reserve in Kvarnsveden, an area of Borlänge in the county of Dalarna, Sweden. There is a path around the lake which can be walked or cycled. I painted this impressionist watercolour, hoping to capture the beauty of this wonderful sunny day with the bright blue sky and just a few clouds, beautifully reflected in the still water of the lake. There's an old fence at the edge of the lake which gave a nice reflection in the reeds, making an idyllic scene. It was so peaceful there and nobody in sight. Summer in Scandinavia is short but sweet and the best time to hop on a bike, cycle into the countryside and enjoy some beautiful scenery! 

Early Winter Riverside

Early Winter Riverside by Martin Howard (2013)
Watercolour, 40.6 x 30.5 cm, 140 lb Fine grain paper.
Domnarvet, Borlänge.

You might wonder if the ‘early’ in the title refers to the time of day or the time of season. It was a few weeks into the Swedish winter and in most years, there would have come snow by then, but this year (2013) was unusually mild. The time of day is about 9.00 am, which I don’t consider to be early. That’s one benefit of the winter in that one doesn't need to get up so early to see the sunrise. It’s still not easy to see though, coming at a different time each day and also being dependant on a clear or partially clear sky. Sometimes the most spectacular skies can come before the sun shows itself or it might be after. It all depends on the cloud formations. On this day, I was walking quickly along the river, trying to capture the sunrise in so many spots as I could. I loved this view, with the sun peering out from behind the chimneys of the steel works in Domnarvet, Borlänge.    

Brad's Outback

Brad's Outback by Martin Howard (2013)
Watercolour, 30.5 x 40.6 cm, 140 lb Fine grain paper.
Hönsarvet, Borlänge.

I've been trying so hard to paint some of my autumn photographs, taken this year (2013) and to capture the brilliant colours that we had. Each painting has had more and more colour and I liked the paintings, but I still couldn't seem to find anything that really showed just how wonderful the colours were this year. While I was enjoying a cup of tea with a friend, Brad, sitting at the bottom of his garden which backs onto the forest, I couldn't miss taking a photo of this scene. I'm glad I did because the next time I was there, just a few days later, all the leaves had come down. Anyway, it certainly gave me the chance to put some colour into my painting. All I needed now was a suitable title. I couldn't call it "The Bottom of Brad's Garden" , but then remembering that he comes from Australia, I hit upon the perfect title! 

Forest Stream

Forest Stream by Martin Howard (2014)
Watercolour, 30.5 x 40.6 cm, 140 lb Fine grain paper.
Olbäcken, Bergebo, Borlänge.

Forest Stream sounded like the best title for this painting, but whether or not that is the correct terminology to describe this running water, depends on where you come from. There are so many different names to describe these small streams. Here in Borlänge, Sweden, this has the name "Olbäcken", with the bäck part pronounced beck and having the same meaning as the English word beck. A beck is a fast moving stream so that word would definitely fit, but another word, brook, could also be used. A brook being a shallow stream with a rocky bed. Whatever it is called, I love walking to this spot and hearing the clear, fresh water making its way through the forest. There are several very small falls along it's route, which isn't so easy to follow. The best places to see it are where it crosses a pathway as it does here, providing a pleasant view upstream.

House On The Hill

House On The Hill by Martin Howard (2013)
Watercolour, 40.6 x 30.5 cm, 140 lb Fine grain paper.
Bergebo, Borlänge.


One of my favourite areas for going for walks, where I live in Borlange, Sweden, is Bergebo. During the winter, it is a popular skiing area. The rest of the year, it is a popular place for walkers, joggers and school children on outings. On the many occasions that I have been there, I have wondered why there was a road that didn't lead anywhere and this old house, abandoned on the top of the hill where the school children go sledging in the winter. As I wandered down that road on this day, the autumn colours were at their peak. I walked past the house and the sun caught the trees around it and the colours were so strong and bright. It made a lovely scene that I just had to paint, but now I needed to know why that house was there. I asked around and did some research and found that the house had belonged to a caretaker for a sanatorium which had stood along that road. It was built in 1906/7 and was used for the treatment of tuberculosis sufferers who needed to be isolated from other hospitalized patients. Part of their treatment involved exposure to fresh air which is why the sanatorium was built in Bergebo. The sanatorium eventually became an old peoples home, but was destroyed by fire in 1952.

Flooded Forest

Flooded Forest by Martin Howard (2014)
Watercolour, 30.5 x 40.6 cm, 140 lb fine grain paper.
Bergebo, Borlänge, Sweden.

When the winter finally loses it's grip and the snow and ice disappear, it is wonderful to be able to go walking in the forest again. As soon as I got the chance, I was off into the forest, to explore new areas after several of my favourite walking areas had been destroyed recently. Not by fire or any other natural event, but by some overzealous tree felling that had left a large area unrecognisable after cutting down too many trees. On top of that, a new water pipeline had been laid to the next town. One day, that might make a pleasant walk or even cycle route, but at the moment it is just a long stretch of devastated forest. I found a new path to explore and walked quite a way along it before I came to this spot where the path was totally flooded. It was icy in places, but not enough to walk over it. I was forced to go through some tightly packed young trees, but not before I had got a few photos.