Watercolors by Jim Oberst Blog

A view across the Venice lagoon of the marina on the tip of the island San Giorgio Maggiore. The church with its campanile dominates the ...

The Center of Interest (COI) is a relatively small area that is more attractive than the rest of the painting, and serves as a focal point ...

This scene is of the walkway along the grand canal in Venice, in front of Saint Mark's square, near the vaporetto stop. The buildings...

We continue our conversation about  Design Guidelines with a discussion of how dark edges can improve our paintings.  First, let's con...

d0710: A gondolier plies his trade on one of the narrow canals in Venice. If you'd like to purchase this 11" x 15" origina...

Our last Artist Tip #17 discussed the importance of value patterns to painting design, and suggested doing one or several value sketches ...

Venice allows no land vehicles, so everything and everyone must be moved by boat. In this scene of the Grand Canal, a working boat (truck...

In previous artist tips, we covered the elements and principles of design.  Now, we'll cover some design guidelines : a number of sugges...

I just completed a 5-day watercolor workshop in Fallbrook, California, taught by Joseph Zbukvic , a modern master of watercolor.  Joseph com...

This sailboat was moored in Port Clyde harbor, St. George, Maine. You can see some of the islands in the background, and plenty of lobste...

Usually when we paint, we concentrate first on the largest shapes, and don't get to the details until the end of the painting process.  ...

This is one of my very few abstract paintings. If you'd like to purchase this 11" x 15" original watercolor painting for $...

This is a tip specifically for watercolor artists, though there may be applications in other mediums - I just don't know.  In Artist Tip...

This group of farm buildings is located in Grady, Arkansas, on the flat delta land near route 65. If you'd like to purchase this 11...

This is the fourth and last artist tip on the seven  Principles of Design : Contrast Gradation Repetition with Variation Harmony Bala...

This is the Ill river in Strasbourg, France, near where it joins the Rhine on the France/Germany border. If you'd like to purchase t...

We've been discussing the seven  Principles of Design : Contrast Gradation Repetition with Variation Harmony Balance Dominance ...

This big catamaran looks like it means business. It's moored with other sailboats in a marina in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida. If ...

In Artist Tip #11 , we listed the seven Principles of Design : Contrast Gradation Repetition with Variation Harmony Balance Dominance...

The sailboats' grace is in harmony with the peaceful sunset. If you'd like to purchase this 11" x 15" original waterco...