Why I Love Watercolors
The main reason that I fell in love with the watercolor media was its "happy accidents", the wonderful things that happen with water and paints that are incidental and not always in control of the artist. When I mingle paints on a wet surface and wait for the magic to happen is the beauty of this media. If an artist wants to always be in total control it might be better to work in a different media such as oil. acrylic or pastels although I do use acrylic with a lot of water in thin washes to get the spontaneous feel that I get with watercolor. It is the process of painting that turns me on rather than the product of the painting. Some of my best paintings are spontaneous and the final subject of the painting speaks to me late in the painting. I might plan what colors I use to begin a painting rather than what subject I am going to paint. After the colors mingle on the wet paper I enjoy finding the subject within this underpainting and bringing the subject forward with negative painting behind shapes that I find. This really lets the painting do the talking to the artist rather than the artist trying to take total control.I welcome comments from other watercolor artists about their feelings as they use this media.
2 comments:
If I need a password, this won't get through. But I thought I'd share tonight "Why I love watercolors".... today at least. It seemed innocent enough. A local museum wanted someone to teach kids how to paint a palm tree. Part of the Valley and its history, you know. So I offered to help this friend who had agreed (and needed a helper). Well, as the dates approached, I learned that her husband was ill and she might not be able to make it. So I found a palm tree and prepared for D-Day. Might be one child, might be 25, the activities director cheerily told us
Well, there were only two. My friend came after all and we each gave the kids one-on-one instruction. The kids were great....and talented. Today was the second day. The museum gal cheerily announced that we should paint something else because the original girls were coming back.
We had two again today. One repeat and a new boy whose father was attending a meeting at the museum and left the child to entertain himself. This young man can draw magically. Never painted before, but just did great. As we were cleaning up, he came up to me and said, "Do you have any grandchildren?" I said I hadn't been that lucky and he replied,"That's too bad. Someone would be very lucky to have you for a grandmother."
So, tonight, I love Jesse and I love watercolor and I still don't think I'm old enough to be a grandma. But he made my day.
I think you are doing beautiful work. Keep it up.
I also am trying out YUPO and am very excited about it.
Linda
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