New Watercolors - Ralph F. Wilson

Here are some of my more recent watercolors.

Click on the thumbnail picture or title to see a larger image. To inquire about purchasing a painting, please contact the artist.

Watercolor - Dusk over the Pacific - 20" x 14" I love the leggy, wonky shapes of these Monterey Cypress trees (Cupressus macrocarpa}. Native to the Monterey-Carmel area of California, in the early 1900s they were planted along the North Coast from San Francisco to Fort Bragg and north. This painting reflects a row of trees at the edge of a golf course. Won Honorable Mention in the WASH ‘Awash with Color’ Member Exhibition at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center, March 28-April 15, 2023. 230315. Watercolor on 300 lb. cold press paper, 20" x 14". In the artist's personal collection.	Watercolor: St. Columba, Apostle to Scotland, 14" x 20" I've been lately about how much I owe to St. Columba (521-597 AD), an Irish abbot who became the apostle to Scotland, winning the wild Picts to Christ -- my ancestors. Columba brought 12 monks with him to Scotland about 563 AD, founding a monastery at Iona, from which missions went all over northern Scotland. In collection St. Columba's Inverness: Episcopal Church and Retreat House. 230517. Watercolor and ink, 14" x 20".
Watercolor: Great Horned Owl, 10" x 10" In May 2023 I saw a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) perched on the lamppost outside my study at dusk during a Zoom meeting. I also made a 4" x 4" version for the Library's Mini-Masterpiece challenge. Part of my 31 Paintings in July Challenge. 230711. Watercolor, 10" x 10".	Watercolor: Orange Day Lily - 10" x 7" Jean summoned me urgently to see an orange day lily outside the house. "They only last for a day," she said, and it was nearly dusk. There I found a beautiful single blossom of a Tiger Lily (Hemerocallis fulva), also known as the orange day-lily, tawny daylily, corn lily, fulvous daylily, ditch lily or Fourth of July lily. The last of my 31 Paintings in July Challenge for 2023. I couldn't resist. 230730. Watercolor, 10" x 7".
Watercolor: Lodgepole Pine Sprig - 14" x 10" I enjoyed moseying along the nature trail at Donner State Park that winds along both sides of Donner Creek as exits the lake. In the forest alongside the creek was this beautiful sprig of Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta), the only two-needle pine in the Sierra. I masked some of the sunlit needles, then did the background quite wet. After it dried, I removed the mask and painted the twigs and needles. Lots of fun! Exhibited in the “Awash with Color” WASH Show at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center, April 2 to 20, 2024, where it won an Honorable Mention. 230824. Watercolor, 14" x 10".	Watercolor: Mem Chu Arches, Stanford - 14" x 20" $0.00 During Jean's 50th Reunion at Stanford University in October 2023, I was photographing the iconic sandstone colonnade in the main quad. Here is a view through an arch to a stained glass window of Memorial Church (known as "Mem Chu" by the students.) It is a beautiful stained glass window of the Annunciation to Mary. Exhibited in the “Awash with Color” WASH Show at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center, April 2 to 20, 2024. 240116. Watercolor and ink, 14" x 20".
Watercolor: Solomon in All His Glory - 10" x 14" Ancient Near Eastern King Solomon was, in his day, the richest and most powerful monarch in his region. But he was best known for his wisdom. In this portrait I have tried to portray him as the strong king he was, splendidly clothed, and confident. I've used a kind of stained-glassy style, rather than full realism. 240122. Watercolor and ink, 10" x 14".	Watercolor: Hummingbird and Sage - 10" x 7" I often have Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) stop by my birdfeeder, but seldom have the light right to see the nearly phosphorescent head fathers. Here, it is feeding on a Woodland Sage (Salvia nemorosa), not native to California, but striking colors. 240213. Watercolor and ink on hot press paper., 10" x 7".
Watercolor: Sonoma Vines in Autumn - 14" x 10" On 15 December 2023, my son Dan and I took a road trip throughout Sonoma County looking for barns. Along the way we saw this beautiful vineyard set up against the surrounding hills. Exhibited in the “Awash with Color” WASH Show at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center, April 2 to 20, 2024. 240220. Watercolor, 14" x 10".	Watercolor: Old Glen Ellen Dary Barn - 14" x 10" In mid-December 2023, my son Dan and I scoured Sonoma County for old abandoned barns. We found this old dairy barn on Warm Springs Road in Glen Ellen, just north of Sonoma. It looks like the silo is a few degrees out of plumb, but what stands out to me is its steep roof. 240124. Watercolor, 14" x 10".
Watercolor: Spring Tulips on Cold Press - 14" x 10" I love spring because of its brilliant color. These tulips make me feel happy. 240317. Look for "Spring Tulips on Yupo" for a comparison. Watercolor on Arches Cold Press paper, 14" x 10".	Watercolor: Crimson Star Columbine - 10" x 10" I love the intricacy and delicacy of columbines! This one I saw at Green Acres Nursery. It is a cultivar (Crimson Star) of the Colorado Blue Columbine (Aquilegia coerulea). 240401. Watercolor. 10" x 10".
Watercolor: Four Tulips and a Stub - 14" x 10" When I opened our local library e-mail newsletter, I saw a beautiful photo of a bed of tulips. This is my interpretation of a cropped version. I tried to catch the feel of numerous happy spring tulips in the background, while focusing on four in the front. 240401. Watercolor, 14" x 10"	Watercolor: Spring Tulips on Yupo - 14" x 10" I love spring because of its brilliant color. These tulips make me feel happy. Look for "Spring Tulips on Cold Press" for a comparison. Jean's comment was that the "Spring Tulips on Cold Press" was "nice, "Spring Tulips on Yupo" was "interesting." :-) It won WASH Painting of the Month for April 2024. 240428. Watercolor on Yupo, 14" x 10".
Watercolor: Cluster of African Daisies - 14" x 10" $0.00 While Jean and I were walking at the local Green Acres Nursery in March I was struck by vibrancy of this bed of African Daisies (Osteospermum ecklonis, "Blue-Eyed Beauty"). I love the bright yellow with the centers that pop out at you! 240420. Watercolor, 14" x 10".