Work in progress

A small glimpse into the project I am currently working on.
More about that soon-ish. 🙂

Look me in the eye, Sweetheart!
I wan’t to schnaugnapf you with my tantacles!

(to schnaugnapf: to sucker-cup someone with one’s sucker-cupses)

Work in progress
Watercolour on paper

© Hesse 2023

One year in Watercolour

A short film by Carola Hesse (2021 – 2022)
Music by Podington Bear – Free Music Archive

Follow me on a short journey that shows 12 watercolour paintings which have been painted during the course of a full calender year – a year of my life. Enjoy!

Inspired by Spring

There have been times when the goings-on in our world have been somewhat more positive. But fear not, human being, it has always been like that. Has it not?! 🙂

Being able to offer a sligthly more cheerful scenery – thanks to being a freelance illustrator/watercolourist – the following images are showing impressions from my current sketchbook as well as a large Watercolour-Mixed-Media-Collage which I have finished today. Enjoy!

Mixed-Media I Sketchbook Drawings
Botanical Inventions
(April 2022)
Mixed-Media I Sketchbook Drawings
The Egg Party
(April 2022)
Mixed-Media I Sketchbook Drawings
Racoon
(April 2022)
Mixed-Media I Sketchbook Drawings
The Whale, the Badger, and the Sugar Bowl
(April 2022)
Mixed-Media
Still Life with Eggs
(April 2022)

Travel sketching – Venice & Prague

It’s been a while since my last post. It wasn’t because of idleness – on the contrary: not long ago I’ve finished (well, almost…) my contributions – namely more than 40 watercolour illustrations – for a children’s book on architecture. Hurray! Fortunately, there is a bit of time to put together bits and pieces now, write a little something that shall be dedicated to travelling and sketching.

In October last year, and, just recently, I’ve managed to sneak away by train for a couple of days. Once to Venice on my own, and once to Prague with a dear friend and artist who is very passionate about as well as good at drawing humanoids. In both cases the focus was on exploring: the places, past and presence, oneself in this context, and art in all its facets.

Although painting is a big part of my daily life for a while, I hardly manage to loosely sketch day to day impressions. But it is exactly this loose practise – a process of memorising and (in a way) self-exposing, and even more: the act of doing so in other places, which is very helpful when it comes to expanding your own horizon, and your own capabilities.

The eye for whatever is in front of you, whatever catches your interest, wants to be trained: the process of understanding sites, things, beings, proportions, light situations, textures, structures, colours, and everything else that comes to mind in this regard. In short: the process of capturing and transferring of what is in front of you onto paper. Whether other people are peeking over your shoulder while doing so – with or without commenting on your work, whether it’s hot or cold or whether you are being properly showered by the lovely water of a Venetian canal unexpectedly (the water is salty in case you wanna know…).
But one can of course also choose a lovely sunny day in a secure spot. It’s certainly more convenient, reduces the stress-level, and enables you to work in a more focused manner on your project. 🙂

Travelling somewhere on one’s own is quite helpful for the purpose of looking at and creating art in a rather undisturbed fashion. The act of following your own interests and rhythms makes it a very personal journey in every regard, and that is, naturally, important for your work as an artist.

VENICE

There are many things I love about Venice: the absence of cars, light and air, its history, its position in the Lagoon, its feminine character, its structure, architecture, and enormous amount of art treasures – just to name a few. The fact that everything is basically within walking distance (or reachable by boat if necessary), is very helpful if one wishes to have a daily art-programme: one can explore the built environment from the outside and inside, and do the sketching “along the way”. All in all, I’ve spent around 10 to 15 minutes for sketching with a fine liner per detail. Only in one case I sat for about two hours in a Café next to a canal. During the evenings, back at the hotel, I added watercolour to the sketches.

Venice, Hesse 2021


Back in Vienna all of the travel impressions slowly merged into something new.



PRAGUE

Prague, Hesse 2022

Even though I have spent some time in the Czech Republic over the years, I’ve never managed to visit Prague. So this year, it turned out to be a wish fulfilled for two artists in one sweep. And that despite all the odds: two complex time tables, missing the first train to Prague from Vienna Main Station (shame on me 🙂 ), and trying to check in without a passport (shame not on me 🙂 ).

Due to travelling and exploring the city together, as well as due to the winterly weather conditions, the Prague Sketches had to be done in less time, and the colouring took place on the train ride back to Vienna.


Back in town, and a few days later, the impressions gathered in Prague merged yet again into something new.



Book Illustration I Architecture for kids

I am currently working on illustrating a book in cooperation with the Austrian architect and author Klaus-Jürgen Bauer. It’ll be the first part in a planned series that will guide young audiences through the world of architecture. The first part is due to appear in 2022 at WortWeit publishing company (German only). You can read more on the topic here.

A little bit of sunshine on your walls

Over the years I have painted many a wall and even furniture. I do appreciate the positive impact that a certain colour can have on a room and yourself. However, every other Interior Decorator might be familiar with the phenomenon of a wall colour not remaining quite as long on a wall as one could expect. I guess, it has something to do with creativity and the self progressing further continously. So over time, I turned towards painting fields of colour onto the walls which are otherwise painted white in order to keep the backround neutral wherever it is necessary.
The colour that is on my mind for a while now is yellow. It has a cheerful, uplifting and inspiring impact on me and is visible in all sorts of things I am working on momentarily.

We are slowly moving towards the season I like most during the year: autumn. For its outbursts of yellows, oranges, reds, and different textures in nature. On one side you can see radiant colours of ripe apples, paers, and berries outside, and on the other side also shades of brown or grey, when trees and bushes are sheding their leaves, only leaving a variety of elongated structures for instance. In that process you can see both, a richness, that touches your senses, but also an idea of parting.

When painting walls, it is rather important to keep in mind, that the colour will indeed change a room, but that it might also have an impact on your mood. So when choosing a colour, it is wise to consider the size of the room, its content, and its general brightness beforehand.

Shop – Art Prints


I am happy to offer you a range of Art Prints with different sizes, printing techniques and on different paper variations. Please note the size of the Art Prints and that the colour display varies from screen to screen.

If you wish to purchase a print please contact me via art@carolahesse.org
Within Austria your shipping costs will be Euro 6,00.

Spring Special 2023

The Art Prints are printed with ink on a 300gr watercolour paper. Please let me know if you wish them to be hand-signed. In order to enjoy the Art Print for a long time, please make sure that it isn’t exposed to direct sunlight.

Spring Collage

Set of 2
ca. 14,4 x 21 cm
Ink printed on 300gr paper

Euro 60,00


DIN A 5 Ink-Prints

The Art Prints are printed with ink on a lovely 300gr photo board – certified with the Blue Angel environmental label. Please let me know if you wish them to be hand-signed. In order to enjoy the Art Print for a long time, please make sure that it isn’t exposed to direct sunlight.

Barn Owl

14,8 x 21,0 cm
Ink printed on 200gr paper

Euro 28,00


Canary Bird

14,8 x 21,0 cm
Ink printed on 200gr paper

Euro 28,00

Chinese Vase & Bumblebee

14,8 x 21,0 cm
Ink printed on 200gr paper

Euro 28,00

DIN A 4 Laser-Prints

They are printed with laser on handmade paper and you can choose between a German or English title. In order to enjoy the Art Print for a long time, please make sure that it isn’t exposed to direct sunlight.

Kreaturen des Meeres
Creatures of the Sea

Limited Edition
ca. 21 x 30 cm
Laser printed on handmade paper

Euro 32,00


Fine Art Prints

My Fine Art Prints are printed with an EPSON SureColor P20000 on Hahnemuehle 308 gr Photorag Paper at the highest stage. This ensures a light fastness of 75 years under exhibition conditions (= no direct sunlight). To protect it further you can use a frame with UV protection-glass.

Fine Art Print
Still Life with 2 Vases and Flowers

1st Edition, June 2021
21 x 29,5 cm

Euro 65,00

Fine Art Print
Still Life with Vase, Lemon and Algae

1st Edition, June 2021
29,5 x 417,7 cm

Euro 115,00

Fine Art Print
Sunset and stilt building at

St. Peter-Ording Beach
1st Edition, June 2021
29,5 x 41,7 cm

Euro 115,00



Fine Art Print
Seascape: Boat
and Seagulls
1st Edition, June 2021
21 x 29,5 cm

Euro 65,00

Fine Art Print
Cityscape 3

A home at night in the Moonlight
1st Edition, June 2021
21 x 29,5 cm
(Printed without white frame)

Euro 65,00

Shop – Greeting Cards

In times where handwriting, and especially hand-written cards and letters, are being more and more neglected, I find it even more important to preserve this way of communication because in a personal way, it has a quite different meaning and is a contemporary document as well.

The Greeting Cards below are printed with ink on a lovely 300gr photo board – certified with the Blue Angel environmental label and come with high quality envelopes in a set of 2, 3, 4 or 5 with motives from my range of watercolour illustrations.

If you wish to purchase a set of Greeting Cards please contact me via art@carolahesse.org
Within Austria your shipping costs will be Euro 6,00.

SPRING SPECIAL 1

Harold Hare
Hommage to Maria S. Merian
Hilda Hen

Set of 3
Euro 13,50

SPRING SPECIAL 2

2 x Spring Collage
2 x Baby Rabbit

Set of 4
Euro 18,00

ARTS & CRAFTS SPECIAL

Fireplace & Two Mice
Hommage To Arts & Crafts
Great Dixter House & Gardens

Set of 3
Euro 13,50

GISA GANS – STRECKHOF SPECIAL

Dorfansicht
Schuettboden
Zweifenstertyp
Kellergasse


Set of 4
Euro 18,00

Loose Flower Bouquet
Red Robin
Late Summer Meadow 1
Late Summer Meadow 2


Set of 4
Euro 18,00

Squirrel
Bertha the Lady Giraffe
Racoon
Sakura


Set of 4
Euro 18,00

Racoon
Giraffe
Lion


Set of 3
Euro 13,50

Canary Bird
Still Life with Vase and Roemer
Robin Redbreast

Set of 3
Euro 13,50

Winter Special
Italian Renaissance Collection

Set of 3
Euro 13,50

Currently not in stock

Chinese Plate with Goldfish
Hommage to Arts & Crafts
Red Ornament 19th Century
European Barn Owl

Set of 4
Euro 18,00

Recipe for a Good Letter
by Amos Russel Wells

To write a good letter,
take a handful of grit,
A plenty of time and a little of wit.
Take patience to “set” it,
and stir it all up.
With the ladle of energy,
then fill a cup.
With kind thoughts
and helpful thoughts,
merry thoughts too.
With bright words,
and wise words,
and words strong and true.
Then seal with a love kiss,
and stamp it with care.
Direct to your friend’s heart,
and presto! ’tis there.

ABSTRACT PAINTINGS

Please click on a painting to open the gallery view. All images are subject to copyright.

STILL LIFES

Please click on a painting to open the gallery view. All images are subject to copyright.


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