Uppsala Approaches

Despite a warm and beautiful autumn, I have still found time to paint several new watercolors featuring Uppsala as the main subject. This wonderfully beautiful city, where we have lived for over thirty years, has inspired many of my paintings. The castle is a favorite, as is the Cathedral, the magnificent structure and the largest in the Nordic region. Fyris River appears in several of my pieces, as does the old train station. Next to this is a winter watercolor of Trädgårdsgatan. This year, I have also painted a watercolor of Ulva Mill, a place where I held my first watercolor exhibition over forty years ago—how time flies.

On Saturday, November 23, it's finally time to showcase my watercolors at Mollbrinks Art Gallery in Uppsala. For this event, I have painted over thirty new watercolors with Uppsala as the main theme. It will be an exciting vernissage weekend, open on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 15:00. The exhibition runs until December 4. The address is Kungsgatan 43. Welcome!

Loose Watercolor Paintings

This summer, I started a group on Facebook called Loose Watercolor Paintings. It was created as a source of inspiration for those of us who want to explore more light and freely painted watercolors, simply "löst och ledigt," as I call it in Swedish. In the group, photorealistic paintings, acrylics, oil paintings, photographs, AI-generated images, and digital art are not allowed.

The group has become immensely popular and now has over 28,000 members, a number that continues to grow. It’s amazing to see how many people from all around the world want to share and show their interest in this style.

You are more than welcome to join as well!  

You can find us here: loose watercolors paintings

Advanced Watercolor Course at Havspiren

I don’t hold many courses per year, but in May, I regularly arrange a few course days in Norrtälje. After many years of painting and experimenting, I have increasingly focused on composition. For me, it has proven to be the most important aspect of painting. Daniel Smith here and Winsor & Newton there, large brushes with lots of water, sable or squirrel hair, long handles, tube paints—not to mention 1200-watt hairdryers—none of that really matters; it all comes down to where you place the color, simply put, composition, and that is what I focus on in my courses (what a wonderfully long sentence this turned out to be :-).

During the course, we delve deeply into composition, but I also demonstrate some perspective theory and how I paint form and light. Additionally, we explore Notan, a Japanese concept I often use as a guide to create harmonious compositions. We paint in a loose and relaxed style, and I show how to avoid overworking your watercolors and making them too detailed. I also teach “3 plus 1,” a method I developed to help you succeed with your watercolors.

Due to the course's popularity, I will be holding two sessions in 2025: May 13-14 and May 15-16. There are a few spots left. For more information about the course and how to apply, please visit my website, www.gadnell.com

Thank You for Your Participation

A big thank you for following my watercolor newsletters. I hope they bring you something of value in return. We’ll be in touch again in a month.

Watercolor demands that you accept and live with your mistakes ...all it takes is confident brushstrokes.

Best regards,

Stefan Gadnell