Hello dear watercolor friend,

Right now it feels like I have a thousand brushstrokes in the air and can’t keep up with everything. But to be honest… is that really true? It’s probably mostly a feeling. Because there is time, if you think about it.

Do I really have to check my email every day and reply within 24 hours? Do I have to watch the news daily or binge-watch a TV series I don’t even care about? Every time I pick up my phone, 15 minutes of my life disappear—just like that—and I get nothing, absolutely nothing, back.

But when I paint watercolor, it’s different. Time flies, but I get tenfold back in joy and energy. Making watercolor videos gives me the same feeling. Actually, I had a dream as a young man to become a film director, but I missed the cut at Filmhuset in Stockholm.

Now I get to combine images and storytelling in my own way. On YouTube, I have a membership channel where members can suggest themes. One request I really loved was: “How do you paint water? Stefan, make a video about water!” What a wonderful challenge!

I threw myself into practicing—first lots of small exercises, then a video with a simple water lily pond. After that, I showed how to paint water and stones, and of course, ended with a boat. But the last one didn’t become a video—just a painting.

The boat above, Norrskär, is one I’m especially proud of. It will hang in my exhibition at Galleri Carl from October 25 to November 9.

The opening reception is on the 25th at 4 PM, and I’ll be there myself. It would be fantastic to meet you then—please stop by and say hello!

Galleri Carl, Skeppargatan 7, Stockholm

The Illustrated Book is Taking Shape

I’ve mentioned my book Five Frozen Pekingese before—and now something exciting is happening: the illustrations are finished. It’s my first book where text and watercolors are woven together like this, which makes it especially fun. The story is about science, dreams, and the unexpected consequences of trying to outsmart death.
For the illustrations, I mostly used watercolors I painted earlier that naturally fit into the story. For some chapters, I painted entirely new images. I’m both proud and excited about how the book is coming together.
Working on the book has been a real challenge—in a good way. I’ve had to paint subjects I rarely tackle otherwise: nature, animals, and images born entirely from imagination. It’s opened new doors in my painting and made me realize I’m capable of more than I thought.

My YouTube Channel

If you’re curious about what I’m painting right now—and sometimes what doesn’t go as planned—my YouTube channel is like an open studio door. There you’ll find everything from small, spontaneous experiments to entire paintings from the first brushstroke to the last detail.
As a member, you get to follow along more closely, without interruptions from ads. There I can show more than what fits in short social media clips, and we can take our time exploring techniques, subjects, and ideas.
For me, it’s also a way to keep myself on my toes—to dare to try new things and let you come along behind the scenes when I test, fail, succeed, and discover new paths in the world of watercolor.

The next Watercolor Letter will come sometime this winter. Then I’ll share thoughts, tips, and images from my ongoing work—and hopefully the illustrated book will be finished by then. Exciting!

Keep painting!

Stefan Gadnell