Watercolor Paintings | Helen Read

• Alpine Reflection

  Watercolor, Paper, 8" x 10" x 0.25". The serenity and beauty of this alpine lake captured my artist's eye. I love the pastel colors of the water and sky, framed with the drama of forests and mountains. I had the joy of…

• Emerald Archway

  Watercolor, Paper, 8" x 10" x 0.25". This graceful tree can be found within the Chicago Botanical Gardens. I was captivated by it's beautiful sweeping limbs and the lovely foliage and floral surrounding. It is sold matt…

• Violet Woodland

  Watercolor, Paper, 8" x 10" x 0.25". Violet Woodland is an invitation into the beauty of spring's arrival! The sun filters through the greening trees and casts its glow onto the woodland carpet of green and violet. Viol…

• Blue Profusion

  Watercolor, Paper, 8" x 10" x 0.25". Spring offers such beauty, especially after the long, gray waiting season of winter. Blue Profusion invites you to a walk in the woodland surrounded by clouds of blue blooms. Artwork…

• Maple Flame

  Watercolor, Paper, 8" x 10" x 0.25". This 5x7" watercolor painting is matted in white to fit an 8x10" frame. It comes ready to drop into a frame or, if desired, can be framed before shipping. Please email me for framing…

• Lingering Mist

  Watercolor, Yupo, 9" x 12" x 0.25". Watercolor has such beautiful qualities and watercolor on Yupo paper magnifies those qualities! Because it is synthetic, the paper does not absorb water. Therefore the pigment sits on…

• Mountain Blooms

  Watercolor, Yupo, 9" x 12" x 0.25". Watercolor has such beautiful qualities and watercolor on Yupo paper magnifies those qualities! Because it is synthetic, the paper does not absorb water. Therefore the pigment sits on…

• Untamed Garden

  Watercolor, Yupo, 9" x 12" x 0.25". Watercolor has such beautiful qualities and watercolor on Yupo paper magnifies those qualities! Because it is synthetic, the paper does not absorb water. Therefore the pigment sits on…

• Hillside Symphony

  Watercolor, Yupo, 9" x 12" x 0.25". Watercolor has such beautiful qualities and watercolor on Yupo paper magnifies those qualities! Because it is synthetic, the paper does not absorb water. Therefore the pigment sits on…

• Horizons

  Watercolor, Yupo, 5" x 7" x 0.25". Watercolor has such beautiful qualities and watercolor on Yupo paper magnifies those qualities! Because it is synthetic, the paper does not absorb water. Therefore the pigment sits on…

• River View

  Watercolor, Yupo, 5" x 7" x 0.25". Watercolor has such beautiful qualities and watercolor on Yupo paper magnifies those qualities! Because it is synthetic, the paper does not absorb water. Therefore the pigment sits on…

• Herrick Woods

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.25". The woods holds a sense of wonder for me, particularly when the golden light of autumn filters through leaves just beginning to change. Nearly every color of the rainbow can be seen…

• The Flower Stall

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.25. What's so charming than walking through a street market and finding a flower stall. The colors sing! The textures of the foliage! The scents! I've captured just a segment of a flower…

• Pink Fire Watercolor

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.10". Peonies are one of my favorite flowers! I love the intricate details hidden between and behind their frilly petals. They never cease to intrigue me and invite me to look closer! Pink…

• Bluebells in Bloom

  Watercolor, Paper, 8" x 10" x 0.10". What could be more idyllic than a bluebells bursting into bloom in the woodlands? In the springtime, the woods are overflowing with abundance. Such a gift to the eye! 7.5x 5.5" Paint…

• Autumn Color

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.10". Autumn is just filled with glorious color! A last glimpse of abundant color before winter sets in. Crisp days, bright warm colors, and a blue sky! Lovely! This watercolor painting is…

• Sundancers

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.25". Sunflowers seem to dance in the sun on a hot summer day! Watercolor captures the shimmer! I love the shapes and colors - often multicolors of sunflowers. They make a sunny summer sta…

• Floral in a Blue Jar

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.10". Floral in a Blue Jar was done with a combination of watercolor and ink. The ink adds the sense of a charming bygone era. The summery colors are offset by the transparent blue jar, wi…

• Peonies and Lavender

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.10". Peonies and Lavender has a looser more watery approach. The blue jar brings an interesting color into the space where the bright flowers are not. These bright pink peonies flow with…

• Meadow Gifts

  Watercolor, Yupo, 10" x 8" x 0.25". A beautiful, watery effect comes from using Yupo paper! Yupo is a synthetic paper that does not allow the water to be absorbed. The result is color that pools and runs andcreates unpr…

• Autumn Pathway

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.25". Crisp air, crunchy leaves, brilliant colors! Fall is in the air. Wander down this pathway and sense the advent of autumn! The painting measure 7x5" and is matted in white for a 10x8"…

• Quiet Elegance

  Watercolor, Yupo, 10" x 8" x 0.25. A beautiful, watery effect comes from using Yupo paper! Yupo is a synthetic paper that does not allow the water to be absorbed. The result is color that pools and runs andcreates unpre…

• Cantigny Tulips

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.25". Spring is the season for tulips! And they are beautifully interspersed within Cantigny Gardens near where I live. This watercolor painting captures just a hint of the acres of flower…

• Red, White and Blue

  Watercolor, Paper, 10 x 8 x 0.25. Capturing just that moment. The very essence of a still life painting. In this moment, flowers of reds and whites are gathered together in a dramatic blue pitcher. It doesn't have to be…

• Withered Beauty

  Watercolor, Paper, 15" x 15" x 0.10". Sunflowers ... even when withered have a particular type of beauty. My eye was captured by the paper thin, dry leaves that retained their color, but now had a shriveled shape.This p…

• Daisies in Lavender

  Watercolor, Paper, 10 x 8 x 0.25". Daisies just seem to lend themselves to portraits! Their sunny, yellow-tinted faces against a lavender backdrop with a few hints of greencreate a lovely spring time drama. 5x7" paintin…

• Wayside Wonders

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 1". The wonder around us is waiting! Waiting to be seen - waiting to surprise the eye - waiting to inspire wonder! Just along the sidewalk, these lovely wildflowers were waiting to be seen.…

• Delphinium

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.25". The beautiful, stately delphinium! I expected a deep purple color when I planted mine, but was surprised to see lavender with some undertones of blue and pink. Against the deep green…

• Lincoln Marsh Woods

  Watercolor, Paper, 10" x 8" x 0.25". From my wanderings in the local forest preserve, I keep coming back to this spot ~right where marsh and woodlands meet. I love the dichotomy of the 2 spaces and the seeming reach of…

• 3 Sisters-Descanso Lilies

  Watercolor, Paper, 7.5" x 9.5" x 0.25. A small floral from some of the beautiful flowers I saw while visiting Descanso Gardens in California last month. This one is done on Yupo, a synthetic watercolor paper that doesn'…

• Garden Pinks

  Watercolor, Paper, 8" x 10" x 0.25". The intensity of the pink with a hint of orange gives life and drama to this contemporary garden scene. It is painted with a contemporary free flowing style. This painting is ready t…

• Waterside Wildflowers

  Watercolor, Paper, 8" x 10" x 0.25". In the shadows of summer time, these lovely wildflowers made their presence known. They nod and dip along the water's edge. The flowers call for bright spots of color amid the darker…

• Distant Mist

  Watercolor, Paper, 8" x 10" x 0.25". Winter doesn't always mean snow! Where I grew up, it rarely snowed. And there are some trees that don't shed their green leaves until spring. In the case of this painting, it the liv…