rinsemiddlebliss

Closeup of a watercolor painting with brown-green hills, violet and orange sky.

Plein air in San Francisco

Hills and the ocean

by AK Krajewska

It's been an exhausting week. I feel out of words because I've used up all my words doing my job which is a job about words. I'm also exhausted because I cope with anxiety about the state of the world by working extra hard. I'm pretty good at my job and generally it makes me feel in control--and even when I'm out of my depth at work it's nothing compared to --gestures vaguely at things. So no more words today. Just enough words for a little intro. Instead of words, I'm going to share with you some watercolor paintings I've done lately. I've continued to paint plein air, and starting to do more big scenes in addition to the closeups of plants that seem to be my comfort zone. Ever since I decided to not worry so much about things being strictly representative, I've had a lot more fun with big scenery. I've also decided not to worry if I'm painting obvious subjects that everyone else paints. Maybe everyone else also paints the sky and the ocean because they are fun to paint, and they're good subjects for the blobbiness of watercolor. My favorite thing remains trying to get the feeling of the colors just right.

A watercolor painting of a hillside with red rocks and scrubby trees

Bernal Hill in San Francisco, August 5, 2024

A simplified watercolor painting of hills rising out of the blue-green ocean into sky that's almost the same shade of blue

View of the Marin Headlands from Ocean Beach in San Francisco, October 6, 2024

An abstracted watercolor painting of a dune with iceplants growing on it, the colors strangely orange

Dunes with iceplants at sunset, Ocean Beach, San Francisco, October 6, 2024

A watercolor painting of a simplified eucalyptus tree

Detail of an eucalyptus tree on Billy Goat Hill, San Francisco, October 20, 2024

A waterlor painting of a dune with some grass, with two seagulls flying above. Everything is very washed out and faint.

Dunes on a misty day, Ocean Beach, San Francisco, October 27, 2024

A watercolor painting of hills, layered with shades of brown and gray rising out of light blue ocean into a sky that is violet and orange.

View of the Marin Headlands just after sunset from Lands End, San Francisco, November 2, 2024

A watercolor painting of a big upright rock rising out of the ocean with black dots along its ledges

Cormorants roost on a prominent rock. Low tide near Mile Rock Beach, San Francisco, November 2, 2024