Water and Colors

During the summer of 2008, I lived in New Zealand while interning at a local high school.  For my three month visit, I stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast run by Miriam and her cat, Millie.  Now you must understand that Miriam is one of the most incredible people I have yet met.  Not only is she a nurse for the elderly, professional gardener, amazing bed and breakfast owner, stairwell cleaner and talented artist, but she constantly seems to be seeking out new adventures.  (When I left at the end of the summer, Miriam was beginning to write a book and taking a course at the local university in addition to all the other jobs I just listed.)  Needless to say, if any of you are planning to travel to Wellington, I HIGHLY recommend staying at Millie's Bed and Breakfast.

Ok, now getting back to the point of this lengthy introduction...  As a talented artist, it was Miriam who introduced me to the world of watercolor...or rather, watercolour.  On weekends, she took me on short painting holidays, allowing me to try new techniques while seeing the different parts of Wellington.

On the left is a picture of Miriam and her leucadendrons. 
On the right is a picture from our first watercolour outing.

Two years later, I am now in Finland continuing to be amazed by the endless possibilities that can result from a box of paints, sketchbook and brushes.  I still find that the pleasure I get watching colors smear across the page compensates for the skills I lack.  Below you can see a couple of pictures I've done in Finland.  The river scene was done about a half kilometer away from my flat, while the autumn sidewalk was done near city center (you might recognize it from the previous post).