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Watercolour

Pop goes the easel!

February 24, 2021 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Pop culture artwork by Kirsten Neil

My watercolour painting career? It's been a minute. (Five years of minutes to be exact.) But with the time I've had over the past year, I started it back up. I mainly [Read more]

Posted in: Artists, Artwork, Pop Culture Tagged: Amanda Gorman, Artists, Artwork, Baby Yoda, Bernie Sanders, Gritty, Harry Styles, Jaws, Star Wars, Stinky Stickers, Vogue, Watercolor, Watercolour

Like a kid in a crayon store

September 17, 2017 by Kirsten Neil 3 Comments
Sons of the Harpy, Game of Thrones coloring book

Remember when you were a kid and you got a new colouring book and immediately grabbed your crayons and had at it? Yeah, good memories, right? It didn't matter if you stayed in [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork, Books Tagged: Art, Artwork, Colouring Books, Watercolour

White Lilies

June 4, 2014 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
White Lillies, watercolour, 2003

The Lily The modest Rose puts forth a thorn, The humble sheep a threat'ning horn: While the Lily white shall in love delight, Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork Tagged: Art, Flowers, Lily, Painting, Poem, Watercolor, Watercolour, William Blake

The Lion

December 30, 2013 by Kirsten Neil 6 Comments

The Lion is my latest watercolour painting and I'm really happy with how it turned out. It didn't take a long time to complete, but I did have a few hairy moments (no pun [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork, Furry beasts Tagged: Africa, Artwork, Painting, Watercolor, Watercolour

Weathered and worn

September 13, 2013 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Boat on dock, watercolour, 2004

When painting with watercolour, my biggest challenge is never the detail, it's those simple washes! I can't quite get 'em right --  always going a few brush strokes too far. [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork Tagged: Artists, Artwork, Painting, Watercolor, Watercolour

Orchids

August 30, 2013 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Orchids, watercolour, 2011

Whenever I see orchids I think of Georgia O'Keeffe and her sensual orchid paintings (and, of course, lady parts). Her work has always wowed me for it's smooth lines and [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork Tagged: Artist, Artwork, Flowers, Painting, Watercolor, Watercolour

Bass Harbor Head

October 6, 2012 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, watercolour, 2004

Autumn, that wonderful time of year when everything looks burnt, cracked, weathered and aged. Here's one of my favourite paintings that always makes me think of the sweetness [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork Tagged: Artist, Artwork, Autumn, Fall, Lighthouse, Painting, Watercolor, Watercolour

Art portfolio

March 18, 2012 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment

After a night of imbibing too much sangria with some good friends, I lazed in bed this morning and finished my first art portfolio book. This was the simplest Blurb book so [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork, Books Tagged: Artist, Artwork, Painting, Portfolio, Watercolor, Watercolour

2012, bring it!

January 4, 2012 by Kirsten Neil 2 Comments

Last year, I made a simple New Year’s resolution to start painting again. After procrastinating for more than eight months, I finally got down to it. It felt good. Like, [Read more]

Posted in: Health, Random thoughts Tagged: Artwork, Painting, Watercolor, Watercolour

White Orchid

November 4, 2011 by Kirsten Neil 2 Comments
White Orchid, watercolour, 2011

For over a week I haven't had a clue what to paint next. I was thinking weathered tree knots or rocks on the beach; something with a lot of texture. Well, as you can see, what [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork Tagged: Flowers, Nature, Painting, Watercolor, Watercolour

Alice’s Teapots

October 25, 2011 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Alice's Teapots, watercolour, 2011

My latest painting comes from a photograph I took at the Portobello Road Market last year in London. The market is so vibrant and has lots of teapots and pictures of chickens, [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork Tagged: Artist, Artwork, London, Painting, Watercolor, Watercolour

Blasts from the past

October 20, 2011 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Tiger, pen and ink, 1999

This week I started digging through some old artwork and brought out my portfolio. I'm not gonna lie, it creaked like an old man's knees; it's been so long since I opened the [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork Tagged: Animals, Artist, Artwork, Drawing, Painting, Watercolor, Watercolour

Paper Umbrellas

October 17, 2011 by Kirsten Neil 4 Comments
Paper Umbrellas, watercolour, 2011

At home in my sun room there is a piece I completed years ago that is an overhead view of people carrying large yellow umbrellas. (Or "oh, those are pretty flowers, Kirsten" [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork Tagged: Artwork, Colour, Painting, Watercolor, Watercolour

Haida Totems

October 7, 2011 by Kirsten Neil 4 Comments
Haida Totems, watercolour, 2011

While visiting Vancouver this year, we took a trek out to UBC so I could see my old school. We walked around campus, checked out the old dormitory, and ended up at the Museum [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork, Photography, Travel Tagged: Artwork, Museum, Nature, Painting, Photography, Totems, UBC, Vancouver, Watercolor, Watercolour

Bring poppies for a weary mind

September 30, 2011 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Oriental poppy, watercolour, 2011

Over the years, I have tried numerous times to grow bunches of poppies in the garden and they either die out or don't even come up in the first place. Except this one, a light [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork Tagged: Artwork, Flowers, Garden, Nature, Painting, Poppy, Watercolor, Watercolour
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Top Posts

Ants!
The beauty and the birds of Witless Bay
Harry Potter Night VII: Mischief Managed
Cliffs and castles and puffins and cows
A very English road trip
Like a kid in a crayon store
I was on a boat
Captivated by Cape Breton

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Madrid, in like a minute. 🇪🇸♥️ We only had one day Madrid, in like a minute. 🇪🇸♥️ We only had one day in Madrid, which was a shame as we found the city to be quite charming.

As we had so little time, our only excursion was a guided tour of the Museo del Prado, which houses the best collection of Spanish Art. We saw some amazing pieces both light and dark. 

Swipe to the end to see the two pieces from the Prado that floored me. The bright and chaotic triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, and the dark and fraught Saturn Devouring His Son by Goya. I’m still thinking about the room that housed Goya’s “Black Paintings.” They are gut-wrenching, harrowing masterpieces the public was never meant to see. (He painted them all on the walls of his home)
—
#ckvacays #madrid #pradomuseum #spain #kirstentravels
Short and sweet in Barcelona. 🇪🇸🐰🙏🏻 On our way ba Short and sweet in Barcelona. 🇪🇸🐰🙏🏻

On our way back to Canada this year, we stopped in Spain to see Bad Bunny’s show. We only had two days to look around this city that’s full of so much life and beauty. 

We stayed in the super walkable Eixample district and also made our way to Sagrada Família to be wowed by the most amazing church that’s over 150 years in the making…so far! And also dealt with celebrity Chuck posing for photos with all his fans. 😂 

We also ate so well here. Not one miss. 

On concert day, we bused it over to the pinchos area where we walked the street going from place to place noshing on little pinchos and drinking beer before walking up the hill to reach Estadi Olimpic for the concert. 

What a gem Barcelona is. We didn’t get nearly enough time to discover all her charms, but consider us completely charmed nonetheless. 
—
#ckvacays #barcelona #sagradafamilia #spain #kirstentravels
Bad Bunny! 🐰🔥 Most joyous concert ever! I said I Bad Bunny! 🐰🔥 Most joyous concert ever!

I said I wasn’t going to take video because I never watch concert videos after I see a show. Couldn’t help but take many. It was such a spectacle. And I’ve been watching them all on repeat since last night. The artistry of the camera work and lighting was a thing of beauty. Benito was as good a showman as they say. The vibe was unreal. 

The reason we visited Spain on our way back to Canada was for this show. I was hoping it would live up to the hype. Boy, did it ever. 

Also, not one word of English for the entire show. Not one. And it didn’t f’n matter. 
—
#ckvacays #badbunny #barcelona #badbunnybarcelona #kirstentravels
March & April in Lagos. 🇳🇬♥️ — #ckvacays #kirstent March & April in Lagos. 🇳🇬♥️
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #lagoslife
What a morning at Oshodi Market in Lagos looks lik What a morning at Oshodi Market in Lagos looks like. @ezechalzz 
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #lagoslife
Jan & Feb Lagos photo dump. ☀️🇳🇬♥️ — #theckhome #l Jan & Feb Lagos photo dump. ☀️🇳🇬♥️
—
#theckhome #lagoslife #awoyaya
Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dune Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dunes, gassy camels, desert camps, deep gorges, high mountain peaks, friendly Berbers, an even friendlier tour guide, all contained within a terrain that screams “STUNNING!” around every bend. What more can one ask for on a three-day journey? How can one fit all that in in just three days? 

Hands-down, the biggest highlight on our Moroccan adventure (besides AFCON, but that’s sports) was a journey from Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara Desert.

We found a highly-rated three-day trip from @moroccofabuloustravel via @tripadvisor. I didn’t know Morocco’s beauty could stun even more after our first few days in Fes, Chefchaouen and Tangier, but boy, did it ever. We were left enchanted…

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #morocco🇲🇦 #moroccofabuloustravel
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦

Tangier was not originally on our agenda for Morocco. But once we saw how pretty Chefchaouen (see previous post) was, and that it was conveniently situated between Tangier and Fes, we altered our plans to visit the coastal city that’s situated on the Strait of Gibraltar. 

We actually didn’t do a heck of a lot in Tangier as we were already spinning from a hectic first few days in Fes. Instead, the city became a place where we could slow down, relax and breathe in the fresh sea air.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #tangier #morocco🇲🇦 #afcon2025
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Madrid, in like a minute. 🇪🇸♥️ We only had one day Madrid, in like a minute. 🇪🇸♥️ We only had one day in Madrid, which was a shame as we found the city to be quite charming.

As we had so little time, our only excursion was a guided tour of the Museo del Prado, which houses the best collection of Spanish Art. We saw some amazing pieces both light and dark. 

Swipe to the end to see the two pieces from the Prado that floored me. The bright and chaotic triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, and the dark and fraught Saturn Devouring His Son by Goya. I’m still thinking about the room that housed Goya’s “Black Paintings.” They are gut-wrenching, harrowing masterpieces the public was never meant to see. (He painted them all on the walls of his home)
—
#ckvacays #madrid #pradomuseum #spain #kirstentravels
Short and sweet in Barcelona. 🇪🇸🐰🙏🏻 On our way ba Short and sweet in Barcelona. 🇪🇸🐰🙏🏻

On our way back to Canada this year, we stopped in Spain to see Bad Bunny’s show. We only had two days to look around this city that’s full of so much life and beauty. 

We stayed in the super walkable Eixample district and also made our way to Sagrada Família to be wowed by the most amazing church that’s over 150 years in the making…so far! And also dealt with celebrity Chuck posing for photos with all his fans. 😂 

We also ate so well here. Not one miss. 

On concert day, we bused it over to the pinchos area where we walked the street going from place to place noshing on little pinchos and drinking beer before walking up the hill to reach Estadi Olimpic for the concert. 

What a gem Barcelona is. We didn’t get nearly enough time to discover all her charms, but consider us completely charmed nonetheless. 
—
#ckvacays #barcelona #sagradafamilia #spain #kirstentravels
Bad Bunny! 🐰🔥 Most joyous concert ever! I said I Bad Bunny! 🐰🔥 Most joyous concert ever!

I said I wasn’t going to take video because I never watch concert videos after I see a show. Couldn’t help but take many. It was such a spectacle. And I’ve been watching them all on repeat since last night. The artistry of the camera work and lighting was a thing of beauty. Benito was as good a showman as they say. The vibe was unreal. 

The reason we visited Spain on our way back to Canada was for this show. I was hoping it would live up to the hype. Boy, did it ever. 

Also, not one word of English for the entire show. Not one. And it didn’t f’n matter. 
—
#ckvacays #badbunny #barcelona #badbunnybarcelona #kirstentravels
March & April in Lagos. 🇳🇬♥️ — #ckvacays #kirstent March & April in Lagos. 🇳🇬♥️
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #lagoslife
What a morning at Oshodi Market in Lagos looks lik What a morning at Oshodi Market in Lagos looks like. @ezechalzz 
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #lagoslife
Jan & Feb Lagos photo dump. ☀️🇳🇬♥️ — #theckhome #l Jan & Feb Lagos photo dump. ☀️🇳🇬♥️
—
#theckhome #lagoslife #awoyaya
Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dune Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dunes, gassy camels, desert camps, deep gorges, high mountain peaks, friendly Berbers, an even friendlier tour guide, all contained within a terrain that screams “STUNNING!” around every bend. What more can one ask for on a three-day journey? How can one fit all that in in just three days? 

Hands-down, the biggest highlight on our Moroccan adventure (besides AFCON, but that’s sports) was a journey from Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara Desert.

We found a highly-rated three-day trip from @moroccofabuloustravel via @tripadvisor. I didn’t know Morocco’s beauty could stun even more after our first few days in Fes, Chefchaouen and Tangier, but boy, did it ever. We were left enchanted…

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #morocco🇲🇦 #moroccofabuloustravel
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦

Tangier was not originally on our agenda for Morocco. But once we saw how pretty Chefchaouen (see previous post) was, and that it was conveniently situated between Tangier and Fes, we altered our plans to visit the coastal city that’s situated on the Strait of Gibraltar. 

We actually didn’t do a heck of a lot in Tangier as we were already spinning from a hectic first few days in Fes. Instead, the city became a place where we could slow down, relax and breathe in the fresh sea air.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #tangier #morocco🇲🇦 #afcon2025
Follow on Instagram

Top Posts

Ants!
The beauty and the birds of Witless Bay
Harry Potter Night VII: Mischief Managed
Cliffs and castles and puffins and cows
A very English road trip
Like a kid in a crayon store
I was on a boat
Captivated by Cape Breton

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