Five Creative Days at Hotell Kallgården

In August, we spent five intensive and inspiring days painting watercolors at Hotell Kallgården in Kall, on the “back side” of Åreskutan. Here, you are surrounded by a fantastic Jämtland landscape, with Lake Kallsjön and Åreskutan as a backdrop. The weather was mostly cold and rainy this time, but that didn’t really matter – we had plenty of inspiration anyway!

We were 21 participants, with both an advanced group and a talented beginners’ group. During the five days, we combined different exercises with painting more finished subjects. We practised leaving the white areas of the paper untouched, bold cropping of the reference image, and working with perspective. I also had the opportunity to try out a new exercise that I developed myself: “The First Brushstroke Is Always the Best.” An exercise in learning to trust the brush and not constantly try to improve what you have already painted.

We worked with everything from Jämtland barns and landscapes with reflections in the water to urban scenes and “guys”. And despite the chilly weather, we also managed some plein air painting, where the participants painted directly out in the landscape. There is something very special about standing outdoors and trying to capture a scene while the light is changing right in front of you.

But a workshop week is, of course, about much more than painting. It is also about conversations, laughter and meeting other watercolor painters. In the evenings, there was good food and plenty of time to socialise, and the week ended with an exhibition and some bubbly, where everyone got to display their favourite painting from the week. It was a wonderful mix of paintings – and there were certainly many proud and happy participants.

The food at Kallgården deserves a special mention. Throughout the week, we were served plenty of local ingredients and game: moose, reindeer, Arctic char and wild duck. The cured moose was probably one of the most memorable culinary experiences!

A big thank you to Therese and Tobbe and the entire team at Hotell Kallgården for five fantastic days of delicious food, excellent service and an environment that is truly perfect for a watercolor workshop.

This is exactly what I love about our workshop weeks – painting, inspiration, nature, good food and great company, all wonderfully combined.

Perhaps Kallgården will be your destination next time?

The First Brushstroke Is Always the Best

This year, I introduced a completely new exercise in my workshops. I call it “The First Brushstroke Is Always the Best.” Perhaps it should really say “usually” rather than “always”, but I simply think the title is better with “always”!

The exercise is based on painting a number of signs, one after another, from top to bottom. There is only one rule: once you have made a brushstroke, you are not allowed to go back and correct it. Well, “not allowed” – rules aren’t really my favourite thing when it comes to watercolor painting. But in this particular exercise, the rule serves an important purpose.

It is very easy to get stuck trying to make everything perfect. You make a brushstroke, feel that it didn’t quite turn out as you wanted, and try to correct it. Then another one, and suddenly you have worked over something that might have been a perfectly good brushstroke in the first place.

By introducing a limitation, you are instead forced to let go of some of that control and trust the brush. You have to accept what happens and move on. That is exactly what I want to achieve with this exercise – to encourage participants to push their boundaries and dare to paint more freely.

And it is actually quite fascinating to see what happens. When you stop going back and correcting things all the time, the brush and the watercolor paint suddenly get much more freedom to do their own thing. The paint can flow, mingle and create its own little surprises.

The exercise worked really well in Jämtland, so I will be including the sign exercise in my future workshops as well. I think it could become a recurring feature – and perhaps also a little reminder that sometimes, when we stop trying to control everything, watercolor becomes at its very best.

Above, you can see some of the results from the workshop in Jämtland.

Would you like to read more about the workshop days in Jämtland? There is now a more detailed account of each day on my blog, with photos from our exercises and paintings.

👉 Read more about the workshop days on my blog

I hope this letter has given you some inspiration. Perhaps we’ll meet at one of my upcoming workshops – or simply meet over a watercolor!

Keep your altitude!

/Stefan