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.