The West Fjords . . .

The West Fjords
Seen from Buðey Island

at 11:00 pm at the table window in the house in Bjarneyjar, Iceland
on June 23, 2014, sketched plein on June 23, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 cold press watercolor paper
NFS

Fulmar Island

Fulmar Island

(Höfði Island) looking south from Buðey Island at Bjarneyjar, Iceland
on June 21, 2014, sketched plein air on June 21, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 cold press watercolor paper
NFS

Spots of Blue Breaking Through

Spots of Blue Breaking Through

overcast misty weather foretelling the sun's arrival
on Torfey Island, the island north of Buðey Island at Bjarneyjar, Iceland
on June 19, 2014, sketched on June 19, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Puffin Island at Low Tide

Puffin Island at Low Tide

looking southwest from the shed on Buðey at Bjarneyjar, Iceland
on June 19, 2014, sketched plein air on June 19, 2014
12" x 9", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Puffin Island in the Wet

Puffin Island in the Wet

looking southwest from the shed on Buðey at Bjarneyjar, Iceland
on June 19, 2014, sketched plein air on June 19, 2014
9.5" x 7", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, 

on 140 lb.Tiger acid free watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Midnight Sun Surprise

Midnight Sun Surprise

as the sun peeks out from a rain layer blanket at 12:20 am
in the far north on Buðey Island at Bjarneyjar, Iceland
on June 18, 2014, sketched plein air from my window on June 18, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Island House I

Island House I

on Buðey Island at Bjarneyjar, Iceland on June 17, 2014,
sketched plein air on June 17, 2014 at 8:00 am
14" x 11", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 cold press watercolor paper
House Left on Buðey Island in the House as a Thank You

Flat Calm Rising Tide

Flat Calm Rising Tide

in the main straight between the islands that
you can walk across at low tide as seen from Buðey Island at Bjarneyjar, Iceland on June 16, 2014
sketched plein air June 16, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press fine extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Looking West from Stykkishólmur . . .

Looking West from Stykkishólmur, Iceland

on a cloudy day in Stykkishólmur, Iceland
on June 13, 2014, sketched on June 15, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Arnar Jumps

Arnar Jumps

in his grandfather's yard in Stykkishólmur, Iceland
on June 14, 2014, sketched on June 14, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press fine grain extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Pedaling Though Lupines

Pedaling Though Lupines

near Vífilsstaðavatn in Garðabær, Iceland on June 11, 2014,
sketched on June 13, 2014 at 10:00 pm in the northern light 
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

The Camera Lesson

The Camera Lesson

with grandfather Óli and granddaughter Þórdís in Reykjavik, Iceland
on June 6, 2014, sketched on June 12, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press fine grain extra white watercolor paper
NFS

A Child's World . . .

A Child's World
Surrounded by Grownups

Egill Atlason at a restaurant in Reykjavík, Iceland
on his grandmother's birthday eve on June 6, 2014, sketched on June 10, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Evening by the Pond Tjörnin

Evening by the Pond Tjörnin

painted hand held, plein air, while watching another painter,
Óskar Thorarensen, painting in Reykjavík, Iceland
on June 8, 2014, sketched plein air on June 8, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, wax resist,
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Guest Watercolor Demonstration
by Óskar Thorarensen

 1

2

3

4

5

The finished art is displayed on Óskar's web site

HERE.

We traded paintings:
New art in the Óskar collection by Bruce

Plein Air Óskar

New art in the Bruce collection by Óskar

Grindavík
Óskar's web site link is HERE and on the "Blogs I follow"

Plein Air Þorgrímur

Plein Air Þorgrímur

painting in Heiðmörk near Rauðhólar by Reykjavík, Iceland
on June 8, 2014, sketched plein air on June 8, 2014
12" x 9", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper
NFS - Artist trade

Plein Air Day
Going places, plein
air, sweeping brushes, bringing back
painted memories.

Þorgrímur Andri Einarsson
105 Reykjavík Iceland
His Iceland web site is HERE.
His US web site is HERE.

Þorgrímur's first show will be opening July 5, 2014 at
Art67, Laugavegur 67, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland.

I love the handy Icelandic plein air brush holders.

A treat for me was that . . .

. . . after our good time and good conversation . . .

. . . we traded our art and this is now in the Bruce art collection,
another Icelandic work by a fine Icelandic artist.

The Three Step

The Three Step

with Aunt Halla, Þórdís and Grandmother Bína
going to Grandmother's birthday dinner in Reykjavík, Iceland
on June 6, 2014, sketched on June 8, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper
NFS

Eleven PM Light Walk

Eleven PM Light Walk

across the lava fields in Garðabær, Iceland
on June 5, 2014, sketched on June 6, 2014
6" x 4", Winsor & Newton watercolors, on 140 lb.
Strathmore cold press extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

A Sunny Rainy Day

A Sunny Rainy Day

along the hills surrounding Grindavík, Iceland
on June 4, 2014, sketched on June 5, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, on 140 lb.
Strathmore cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Plein Air Óskar

 

Plein Air Óskar
Óskar Thorarensen painting in Grindavík, Iceland
on June 4, 2014, sketched plein air June 4, 2014
12" x 9", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper

Watercolor Painter Óskar
Bruce McMillan © 2014

In a café sit some men.
On a wall hang some paintings.
In one painting stands a man,

a reflection of his art,

man in the art,
art on the wall,
painted by him.

The Bryggjan cafe's web site HERE.

 

Óskar Thorarensen's painting,

Garðhús í Grindavík, 2012,
online at his artist's blog HERE

 The scene in Grindavík, Iceland

 The art to be completed,

painting interrupted by a passing shower.

Teague at the Piazza San Marco

Teague at the Piazza San Marco
in the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of modern art in Venice, Italy
on May 30, 2014, sketched on May 30, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper

NFS

Teague at the Piazza San Marco
Grandson Finn McMillan, age 11
ink on paper
on May 30, 2014, sketched on May 30, 2014

Teague at the Piazza San Marco
Grandson Teague McMillan, age 9
watercolor on paper
on May 30, 2014, sketched on May 30, 2014

When I asked Teague what was over the painting
he said that it was the sign that goes with it;
and when I asked why he put it
above the painting rather
than beside it, Teague
replied with a
statement
worthy of
Picasso:

   "Grampa Bruce, it's a painting;
you can do anything."

-Teague McMillan, age 9,
in Venice, Italy, May 2014
 
I always hear the voice of Grandson Teague when I paint. -Bruce

 Grandson Teague by the

Piazza San Marco #15
William Congdon (1912-1998)
Oil on board, 1957

Peggy Guggenheim Museum of modern art in Venice, Italy

Megan's Nasturtiums . . .

Megan's Nasturtiums
above the Valley
on the porch at their home in Switzerland
on June 2, 2014, sketched plein air on June 2, 2014
12" x 9", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, wax resist,
 on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

View from a Swiss Porch
Three Artist's Views

View from a Porch Table
Finn McMillan (2002- )
9" x 6", Koi watercolors on
140 lb. Strathmore watercolor paper
$10.01 (a Jackson and a Lincoln) - sold

Cloud Shadow Animals
Teague McMillan (2004- )
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors on
140 lb. Strathmore watercolor paper
$10.01 (a Jackson and a Lincoln) - sol

Plein air artists Teague, left, and Finn, right

View from a plein air porch looking to the right

Elegant Ballroom Street Dancers

Elegant Ballroom Street Dancers

on a midnight street in Trieste, Italy
on June 1, 2014 at 12:15 am, sketched on June 1, 2014
6" x 4", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Elegant Sensuous Street Dancers
by Bruce McMillan,© 2014 

On a summer night with summer warmth 
after afternoon raindrops have washed
the town clean, the streets of Trieste are
full with happy people, all ages
long into the night; it's a party.
On one black macadam street autos 
are replaced with midnight dancers, such
elegant and sensuous ballroom
dancers, couples twirling and circling
a small hill of their lady dancer's
purses. Round and around they go as
beautiful dance music cascades down
from the Radio Punto Zero
building. The crowd encircling the
dancers is enthralled and envious
of their smooth fluid movement and their
open passion while the music plays,
lulling the crowd into a dance of
the mind with these passionate couples.

A Gondolier Gondoling

A Gondolier Gondoling

in a canal in Venice, Italy on May 29, 2014, sketched on May 29, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite,
on 140 lb. Strathmore cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

A Gondolier Gondoling Too 

by Grandson Teague McMillan

6" x 4", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper

One of the things I enjoy about nine-year-old grandson Teague's art is that he will place objects anywhere in the painting where they might fit, very abstract in his thinking, laughing about it, and when asked he says that he's making a painting, and I love it and hope he never loses it "as he matures. -Bruce

"It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child." -Pablo Picasso

 

View from Our Balcony

 

View from Our Balcony

in Venice, Italy with Venetian raindrops for effect

on May 28, 2014, sketched plein air on May 28, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

 

The Plein Air Painters of Venice
on the balcony with the sounds of approaching thunder booming,
Grandson Finn, Grampa Bruce and Grandson Teague

 
Balcony View I by Finn McMillan

 

Balcony View by Teague McMillan

note the real raindrop effect