A few thoughts on framing watercolors

Two watercolors framed

I’ve been busy framing some watercolors for a gallery – framing them not in the traditional way with a mat and glass, but mounting the paper onto a panel, protecting it with Renaissance wax, and putting it in a float frame so it can be enjoyed without annoying reflections. I often feel that the glass […]

New painting: Along the Old Canal

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On a visit to Utrecht with my daughter last week, I had some time to wander around by myself, which is one of my ultimate joys in life. While strolling around the canals, I spotted an art supply store and of course I couldn’t resist! I went in thinking I might buy a cheap sketchbook, […]

New watercolor painting: Memory Lane

Mineke Reinders - Memory Lane - watercolor 25x35 cm

The subject of this painting is literally a trip down memory lane: these houses and alleys have been torn down to make room for new dwellings in an updated environment. Not a bad thing, I’m sure, as the old houses were in bad shape. Still, I can’t help feeling a little nostalgic about this old […]

New Watercolor Cityscape: Happy Hour

Mineke Reinders Happy Hour Watercolor Cityscape

“I don’t dwell on detail. When I see a jumble, I paint just that.” – John Yardley I remembered that comment by one of my favorite painters, John Yardley, when I was painting this lively street scene in Cambridge. No need to get bogged down with all the detail of figures and bicycles, just paint […]

New Watercolor Cityscape: Sunday Walk (Bielefeld)

Mineke Reinders Sunday Walk Watercolor Bielefeld

In Germany, people like to get together on a Sunday for Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake or pastries), either at someone’s home or at one of the bakeries that are open on Sundays for this purpose. Our favorite in Bielefeld was Knigge. Weather permitting, it’s always nice to go for a walk around the neighborhood […]

Breezy Spring Morning

Breezy Spring Morning

Here’s another scene from Bielefeld, Germany, where I lived from 2010-2012. This pleasant street was right around the corner from our temporary digs during the second year of our stay. It was a lovely neighborhood not far from the Altstadt (the historic downtown). Available through Galerie Drentsche Aa A note about materials: The sky is […]

Promise of a Summer Morning

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I’m working to get this website GDPR-compliant before May 25th, so this is going to be a short post 🙂 The watercolor above shows how even the humblest places can offer moments of beauty. An alley in one of the poorest parts of Ankara on a clear summer morning, with abundant sunshine throwing lively shadows […]

Early Morning on the Charles Bridge

You have to get up pretty early to catch the Charles Bridge devoid of crowds, which is exactly what I did one day during our visit in 2012. When my family was living in Bielefeld, Germany, we took the opportunity to revisit Prague. We’d been there once before, in 1996, just seven years after the […]