The Davis Strait extends from western Greenland around the southern tip, then heads north following the mountainous east coast. Fog and light rain announce our morning; it is a fine time to unpack and get ready for the first watercolor demonstration. Winsor&Newton, celebrating the company’s 175th anniversary, generously provided wonderful art kits for us to try. Today I want to write about the materials and methods artists can use as we encounter the many unpredictable conditions of painting in the Polar Regions—as well as painting in the comfortable lounge setting of our great studio aboard the Kapitan Khlebnikov.

For the half-sheet watercolor demo introducing the art program, I used a composition inspired by a thumbnail sketch from the previous evening. Having the full moon as my  subject allowed me to demonstrate a radial gradation in watercolor, as well as employ my trusted utility paint scraper (called a “5 in one” at most hardware stores in Canada) to lift out the still wet, dark blue greens and mauves to reveal the icecap and moonlit peaks.