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RiEile — -The Tower of Roses-
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#watercolor #architecture #brick #flowers #roses
Published: 2018-07-26 08:58:12 +0000 UTC; Views: 1879; Favourites: 240; Downloads: 18
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Description
This watertower in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin was a parting gift for two colleagues who worked in our lab for a year during their sabbatical.Watercolor on lanaquarelle 300g/m2 cold pressed paper, 16x24 cm
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Comments: 27
There is an all-around soft, slightly windless and hazy feel to this piece. Like a morning where the sun is coming up, but not overly bright, and the temperature is mild and still. The clouds primarily give this feel. An additional feeling of semi-mystery reaches through the canvas, for a building amidst the trees asks the question if it is a known destination or a forgotten structure or a place of spiritualism.
Lovely, textured feeling overall to the piece. The pale flowers show a good amount of detail when you study them that looks realistic and interesting, as grays and yellows were both employed. All of the foliage has good detail, too. If you look longer at the piece, you notice more of it.
Of course, the most detailed part in both outline, design, and painting is the building. The top reflection or shadow of the column adds to the realism of the structure. There is a lot of ornamentation and detail that has carefully been painted or drawn.
I just have 3 thoughts or considerations:
1) The windows on the building are all slightly uneven either in height or location on the actual building. This gives the building a feeling of either oldness or unevenness, like if an architect had designed it, it would not stand easily. But maybe this was intentional. The arch lines above the windows vary, too. On one, there are 2 lines for the arch; on the other windows, the lines move or there seems to only be one. Perhaps more attention to this consistency of detail may improve a future piece.
2) There is a blue color in one of the windows. Is this a broken window, a curtain, or a person standing in the window? I know it is small and by nature of the paint medium, may be hard to articulate, but right now, I can't tell what it is. That can help with the questioning and interpretation of the piece, or it can just cause confusion.
3) Should the windows reflect more of the coloring of the sky? They are dominantly blue. I can see little soft tints of gold, but should the gold be a bit sharper, as near the tree line, it looks like the sky is quite boldly gold?
Overall, this is a serene and very well-done piece. Love the dirty-type of texturing on the building.
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Thanks a lot for your thoughtful critique!
The windows are uneven indeed: I was trying to vary the level on detail for the ones in the center and other windows around, but they look different and not like the same things with a different level of detail. I am not quite there yet.
The window is indeed broken, but it is good to know that some people might see it differently.
You are right, some ocher would not hurt
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I really like this piece. When I look at it, I can't help but imagine I am in a calm and relaxing place, where the weather is nice, the bees are buzzing and there is lemonade and some cake nearby.
The selection and mix of colours is perfect, and I absolutely love how you presented the flowers. In fact, they are my favorite part of the painting. I think they are the thing that helps convey this feeling of relaxation more than anything else! I also look the trees behind them. They are detailed enough, but do not distract from the flowers, and the tower, but actually make them stand out.
The sky section is also very pretty. It feels as if it was done by pencil, which slightly differs from the feel of the rest of the painting, but I do like the result.
The one thing I have an issue with is the tower. While the colours are selected well, and the tones fit the rest of the work, the perspective is off, especially on the roof part. I also feel it is a bit tilted (perhaps the actual tower is also tilted, in which case disregard this). Last, but not least, the very top part seems unfinished. A little more detail would make it fit a bit better.
I am not sure how you go about fore-sketching, but I would suggest to clear the perspective before you place paint, in order to avoid uneven parts.
However, I do like this painting, and I do feel like it brings a very nice sense of travelling to this calm place you painted. Good job!
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Thank you very much for the detailed feedback!
I actually dislike how the flowers turn out, I think they are too flat, but it is nice to read a different opinion!
Hmm.. interesting. The sky was a usual wet on wet wash. But I do see some difference with everything else.
I feel that the most problematic is the topmost ‘spire’ that is for some reason asymmetric (I checked the sketch, it was alright there, so I messed things up dyring the painting process). It’s a shame I cannot fix it anymore, as the original was a gift.
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In any case, it is a very pretty artwork, and I am sure its owner is happy to have it 
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Thank you for the favs and kind comments!
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A beautiful water-colour painting really well-done. 
It looks even more vibrant and authentic than a photograph!
Excellent work, Maya! 
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Hello there! I'm from ProjectComment !
Oh... my... gosh . This painting looks so realistic! I don't know what to say about this, it made me really speechless. That water tower is definitely real for sure. No wonder the painting shows how real that place is. Very impressive!
The architecture on the water tower has a very interesting design, I like the shape on the windows. The sky is kinda a bit cloudy, but it will do, it shows out a little mysterious feeling. That yellow spot I see, I'm pretty sure that was the sun setting. The look on those trees is exactly how I wanna picture them if I imagine something realistic like this. The roses are very beautiful. They do look simple, but yet they are beautiful. I guess seeing them in front is why the tower is called the "Tower of Roses", maybe even better if more roses are added. Hahaha!
Everything on this painting is really fascinating! The texture, the background, the outline, all of it is truly remarkable. You did an outstanding job right there.
The moment I saw this piece, I kinda interpret something about it. It's like this: someone is lost or wandering in the woods without knowing where to go. The longer he/she walks, the deeper he/she goes. After walking for a very long time, he/she decided to rest. Later when he/she continued walking, he/she came upon some beautiful roses. Curious, he/she walked on a path through them. There, he/she sees an old water tower. It looks a bit creepy, but there's something very mysterious. The explorer/wanderer needs to take shelter due to the cold weather. So he/she went to the water tower without any other choice. It's unclear what happened to the explorer/wanderer after he/she stayed at the tower who knows how long, but this tower shows you no harm. Well, that depends on you, if you ever come across the "Tower of Roses".
I just thought I could do an interpretation for the piece. It holds the realistic feeling very well, it can make a good story.
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Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comment!
If anything, this water tower is surrounded by a usual neighborhood, but I like your interpretation.
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You're welcome!
Oh, I see.
Thanks!
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I'm always impressed by the details in the buildings you paint. The trees, foliage, and flowers are also gorgeous too!
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Oh wow.
WOW. This is absolutely GORGEOUS! Look at all those details, the roses, the building, the single shattered window, the trees, man this is really stunning! The colours in this are so beautifully done and natural, you could mistake it for a photo at first glance. Truly amazing, brilliant work!
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Мені подобається !Реалістичні кольори! Дуже детально зображена башта. На передньому плані виступають білі троянди. Вони привертають увагу, але замок такий красивий, що їм не поступається. Все добре поєднується в одній композиції. Чудова робота!
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Thanks a lot! (Unfortunately I cannot answer in Ukranian, although I understand it)
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This is so detailed... looks very realistic. The tower also looks very cool.
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Great job, I like the detail on the tower and how the light shines through between the leaves!
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this is so pretty !! I love the roses, the different greens , the sky and the castle ! everything looks so good together, the values seem perfect !
lovely touch with the yellow glow in the sky !
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