
Home |
New |
Animals |
Flowers |
Landscapes | Cityscapes | Portraits &
Figures | Miscellaneous
| Plein Air | About the
Artist
Watercolor Cityscapes and Buildings
I enjoy the challenge of drawing buildings. It's fun, but if you get the perspective lines wrong, it's clearly wonky. I've included in this section paintings where the building or buildings are the main focus. Under landscapes you'll see some buildings and bridges that are incidental to the landscape.
Click on the thumbnail picture or title to see a larger image. To inquire about purchasing a painting, please contact the artist.
|
Watercolor: Atkinson House Rutherford (20"x14")
This Queen Anne house was built in 1882 by Joseph and Louis Atkinson. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places in Napa County, and is located at 8440 St. Helena Hwy. in Rutherford, California, on the grounds of St. Supery Vineyards and Winery. My son Dan works in offices on the second floor of the tower. Watercolor, 20" x 14".
|
Watercolor: Auburn County Courthouse from the SW
Another watercolor of a fascinating and beautiful building -- what I think is perhaps the most beautiful public building in California. 10.5" x 11"
|
Watercolor: Auburn's Crown Jewel (20" x 14")
Auburn, California County Courthouse, built in 1897. Watercolor by Ralph F. Wilson, 20x14. Exhibited in juried show, "Celebrating Auburn's Past," sponsored by the Auburn Arts Commission, June 10 to Aug 1, 2013
|
Watercolor: Blue Goose Fruit Shed, Loomis, California, ca. 1930 (20" x 14")
This was adapted from several historical photos in Images of America - Loomis, by the Loomis Basin Historical Society (Arcadia Publishing, 2009). This shed no longer exists, but it was once at Taylor Rd. and Webb. Watercolor, 20x14 inches. Exhibited in "Along the Lincoln Highway," A juried art show by the Auburn Arts Commission, Dec 12, 2013 to Feb 7, 2014.
|
Watercolor: Colonnade at San Juan Bautista Mission - 21" x 14"
A trip down US 101 to Santa Barbara several years ago inspired this painting of the colonnade at San Juan Bautista Mission near Hollister. I used a pouring technique, successively masking the lighter areas, and then pouring primary colors -- thalo blue, quinacridone red, and new gamboge yellow. This painting was voted "Watercolor of the Month" at the WASH Watercolor Club, Sacramento Fine Arts Center, for April 2017. Watercolor, 21" x 14".
|
Watercolor: Commercial St., Old Town, Auburn, CA - 14.5" x10.5"
This was painted plein air on an overcast October Saturday morning. About 11:15 am I got rained out and finished at home. These are brick buildings built in the 1880s, with the Placer County Courthouse towering in the background. Watercolor, 14.5" x 10.5".
|
Watercolor: Delft Shops near Oude Kerk (Old Church) - 14 x 20 inches
Here's a view just down the street from my hotel in Delft, Netherlands, in mid-September 2014. The shops are just over the canal bridge across from Oude Kerk (Old Church), founded in 1246 AD. Of course, Nieuwe Kerk on the other side of town was founded in 1584. I found Delft to be a charming city, much slower-paced than Amsterdam. Watercolor and watercolor crayon, 14 x 20 inches.
|
|
|
|
Watercolor: Amsterdam Street View - 10.5" x 14.5"
During my trip to Kenya and Amsterdam in September 2014 I caught this busy street scene. I had just seen a demo by watercolorist Qian Gao who greatly simplifies complex scenes. Here's my first attempt, though I have a lot more simplification to go! Watercolor, 10.5" x 14.5"
|
Watercolor: Canal to the Basilica of St. Nicholas, Amsterdam - 14.5" x 14.5"
I tried to simplify this scene, with the tranquility of a canal that ended at the Basicilia St. Nicholas (1887) in the distance along old town canal. It started as a 14x20, but a square format worked better.
|
|
Watercolor: Dawn at the Auburn Courthouse - 20" x 14"
I love the light and color that shone their way into this painting of the gorgeous Placer County Courthouse in Auburn, CA at dawn. This building is certainly my candidate for the most beautiful public building in the State of California. This is my fifth attempt at painting it. This painting is exhibited in the juried 2017 WASH "Go with the Flow" Open Show, Sep 6-Oct 1, 2017 at Sacramento Fine Arts Center. Watercolor, 20" x 14".
|
Watercolor: Blue Door, Grand Canal, Venice - 10.5" x 14.5"
My son David took a striking photo of a weather-beaten blue door on the Grand Canal in Venice in June 2015, from which I made this painting. Earlier photos I found on the Internet of this popular door show that it once had a lamp hanging over it, and posts to which to tie up one's gondola. The sea is hard on sinking Venice. Watercolor, 10.5" x 14.5". June 2017.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ralph F. Wilson Watercolors
P.O. Box 565, Loomis, California 95650
phone (916) 652-4659
E-mail
All art works are copyright by Ralph F. Wilson. All rights reserved.
|
|