Category: Medium – Watercolour Paints

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Street View: A Kaleidoscope of Colors

Water colour – on 300 GSM Paper (41 x 25cm)

This is my watercolor painting of a bustling restaurant area located near Tokyo, Japan, created in 2017. I usually prefer a realistic style in my paintings, but occasionally I use a looser style to emphasize the use of color.

The painting captures the vibrant and lively atmosphere of the area, with towering buildings that are bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun. I depicted the locals making their way down the street towards the nearby bars, adding to the sense of movement and energy in the scene. The atmosphere is both peaceful and inviting, evoking a sense of relaxation and contentment. The colorful lights from the bars blend together seamlessly, creating a mesmerizing kaleidoscope-like effect that adds to the overall charm of the scene.

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A Drunken Snowfall

Watercolor – on 300 GSM paper (41 x 25cm)

In late 2013, I traveled back to Korea after my time in New Zealand and continued my travels around. While exploring, I spent some time in Japan, where my habit of drinking led me to seek out bars even at night. One evening, while wandering through the streets under the influence, I was awestruck by the sight of snowflakes falling from the sky.

The snow, along with the lights and reflections on the street, appeared to me as an artistic masterpiece. I made a mental note to capture the scene through a photograph and later converted it into a painting in 2017.

This painting still conveys the mix of emotions, drunkenness, and enchanting ambiance that I experienced at the time. The painting was executed in a loose style, despite my usual preference for tight realism. The colors used in the painting were nearly a perfect match for my personal taste, resulting in a piece that satisfied me greatly.

However, I ended up giving the painting to a friend and have since regretted that decision. Last winter, there was a heavy snowfall in Dunedin, and I missed the opportunity to capture it through a photo. But I learned my lesson and plan to take more pictures of snowy scenes in the future.

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Solitude at Queenstown Lake

Water Colour on 41 x 28cm – 300 GSM Paper

The Quiet Witness

A duck stands alone on the rocky shore of Lake Wakatipu. It is not dramatic—no golden light, just grey water, grey mountains, and one small bird, perfectly still.

I painted this from a photo I took during a trip to Queenstown. After I finished sharing my snacks, this duck didn’t wander off; it stayed by my side. I lay flat to get to its eye level, and it stood like a professional model. I captured that exact moment and later brought it to life on watercolour paper.

I wanted to paint the kind of solitude most artists decorate, but I resisted. The watercolour is precise—each pebble and ripple has character—but the effect is hushed. The duck does not perform; it simply exists. This is Queenstown at its most honest, not the tourist postcard colours, but the lake on an ordinary afternoon: vast, indifferent, and quietly magnificent.

I eventually gifted this painting to a dear friend who journeyed from Nelson to Dunedin just to see me. Through this piece, I wanted to share a quiet reflection: to be alone is not to be lonely. The duck is complete.

Work in Progress