Innholdsfortegnelse for December - January 2016 i Watercolor Artist

Do art aficionados make better doctors? Thanks to the program that art historian Amy Herman envisioned, they just might. The Art of Perception is a training seminar that focuses on sharpening observation and communication skills through viewing works of art. Participants are encouraged to voice what they see in a picture—and what they don’twithout using the words “obviously” or “clearly.” “Multiple perspectives make for more informed decision-making,” says Herman, “and discussing others’ perceptions of works of art seems to facilitate this process.” Herman began the program in 2000—at the time, she was head of education at The Frick Collection—for medical students, with hopes of molding them to be more aware of their clients, and not their clients’ charts. By 2005, it had picked up enough steam, serving law enforcers, educators…

I usually shoot my still life setups outdoors in the bright morning sunlight. I take an excessive number of pictures, move things around, swap out items, change the camera angle and take more shots until I find the most pleasing arrangement. Looking through the viewfinder or at the LCD screen helps me to frame the borders of my composition. Using a digital camera also affords me the opportunity to easily import the images into a program such as Photoshop. From there, I can manipulate the still life composition by cropping, deleting, or making light and color adjustments.…

Underpinned by sure draftsmanship, a firm grip on perspective and a fine eye for color value, Mike Kowalski’s brushwork is fast, animated and direct. Working within the natural constraints of plein air painting—with its shortage of time, shifting light and unpredictable conditions—the artist still manages to find intriguing compositions in which he structures space and light to achieve satisfying and engaging scenes. “I’m happiest outside and would much rather be there than in the studio,” says Kowalski, who divides his time between Seattle and Melbourne, Australia. “As an artist, you’re accumulating skills all of your life,” he explains. “With watercolor, for example, it’s learning which colors to mix and how to mix them, using your brush effectively, understanding your surface, and knowing ‘when to strike’ and put on the next…

Steam rises from bowls of piping hot delicacies. Cooks work fast to serve hungry customers just out of sight. A colorful abstract background contributes its own kinetic energy, rounding out the portrayal of a lively market stall in Spitalfields (opposite). Capitalizing on the most distinctive characteristics of the medium, Stephen Zhang combined transparent washes of vibrant, flowing color and rich, complex glazes for a realistic depiction, while retaining a fresh, spontaneous quality to the work. Recently, he took time out of a busy trip to China to chat with me about his creative process, the impact Buddhist cave murals had on his development as an artist and how his admiration for the older people in his life led to his series examining the human spirit. Kelly Kane: You assign…

Dorothy Lee Los Angeles “I’ve always been interested in the human face and figure as a means of exploring different themes and ideas. My portraits depict immigrants and all the richness and complexity of the stories they bring with them. As a way to overcome the limitation of representing a three-dimensional object in two-dimensional space, I use consecutive layers of varied texture, each of which adds depth and context to the work. “I began Sorrow as an ordinary watercolor painting. As I progressed, I added collage to create a more meaningful image—one that revealed feelings and images from a past experience. To keep the collage images from overwhelming the watercolor portrait, I layered rice paper on it to push it back. I also decided to unite the collage elements into…

For me, successful artwork in any medium hinges upon its ability to tell a story, convey a vision or idea, or move the viewer emotionally. In my own watercolor paintings, it’s the story of light that’s always most important. With this in mind, I try to create a path of light—a visually connected composition of darks and lights—to pull viewers into the painting. Once there, I want them to feel welcome and involved, to try to understand the story I’m telling, or even to begin to imagine their own stories based on how the painting makes them feel. Painting the Illumination “Try not to paint the scenes and objects in front of you, but rather, try to paint the light that illuminates and gives them identity.” I always share that…

Jan Sitts Jan will be teaching some unique and exciting mixed media painting workshops in 2016. Marco Island Center For The Arts February 16-19, Kanuga Watermedia Workshops April 3-7, Sedona Art Center May 9-12 & November 3-6, and Dillman’s Bay Resort, Wisconsin - September 12-15. For more information, please visit: www.jansitts.com Suzanna Winton Author of Realistic Watercolor Portraits Internationally known Instructor and Award winning Artist Suzanna Winton is a member of the National Watercolor Society. She is known for her Portrait, Animal, & Floral Paintings. For more information, please visit: www.suzannawintonwatercolors.com or to schedule a workshop contact her at wintonsa@aol.com Anne Abgott, AWS NWS Author of Daring Color Anne teaches workshops all over the United States and Canada. Her workshop and class schedule can be found on her…

Eric Ravilious was an English artist, illustrator and designer whose working life spanned the years between the two world wars. His career was tragically cut short when he was lost in a plane crash while working as a war artist in 1942. The Dulwich Picture Gallery in London recently mounted a retrospective of the artist’s watercolors, giving the public an opportunity to enjoy the rich invention of his vision. Serenity, Interrupted Ravilious’ watercolors present the visual delights of English life in his era, finding a quiet, elegant poetry in commonplace surroundings and activities. The work plunges us into a world of pleasantly domesticated landscapes, interiors rich in pattern and texture, tennis lawns, glass houses, train trips, fireworks, and seaside outings. But there are some quirks in the vision as well:…

Paper: Winsor & Newton and Saunders rough and cold-pressed watercolor paper. “If I’m using a 300-lb. paper, I won’t have to stretch it,” he says, “but for everyday use, I opt for a 140-lb. paper that will certainly buckle.” Therefore, he stretches the paper by soaking it and then stapling it to Gator Board. “Soaking the paper also removes some of the sizing, making it more absorbent.” Paints: Daniel Smith watercolors. “I’m picky about color,” Kowalski says. “I’ve tried many brands and like quite a few, including M. Graham, but it’s important to really know my pigments. I can’t be jumping from brand to brand all the time.” Colors on Kowalski’s palette include: aureolin; burnt sienna; burnt umber; cadmium orange; cadmium red scarlet; cerulean blue; cobalt blue; new gamboge; permanent…

Whether I’m working in the studio or on site, my ultimate goal is for my paintings to have the same feel about them—a concentrated interplay between light and space. Read All About It, the Silver Medal of Honor winner at the 2015 American Watercolor Society annual exhibition, features a bookstore at Pike Place Market in Seattle. In the summer, the market area and bookstore are packed with tourists and locals alike, but I like to visit the locale in the winter, too, when it’s quiet and less crowded. To prep for this painting, I took photos and then made a few sketches of figures browsing the store’s magazine aisles. I settled on one, and worked in the studio to compose a picture with subtle energy that emanated from the newspapers…

I enjoy exploring the essence of everyday objects through still life painting, because it allows me to convey how truly extraordinary the ordinary is. I’ve learned through experimentation that carefully arranged still lifes—ones in which I have control of almost everything—put me on the path to successful paintings. Here are some basic ideas and art elements I consider when selecting and arranging objects for a dynamic still life. Personal Attachment: Select items because you like their color, texture or form, or because they have some personal meaning to you. Your arrangement should appeal to you in some way or help you tell the story you want to share. Form: It’s important to consider shape, size and scale when establishing a still life arrangement. Use geometric and organic shapes in tandem…

Shirley Trevena’s Watercolors By Shirley Trevena With more than 100 paintings featured, Shirley Trevena shares her exciting compositions, unusual perspectives and vibrant color combinations in this retrospective book. Discover her inspiring annotations chronologically on her paintings of still lifes, portraits, and abstracts. Get a glimpse into her creative process through studies, color and composition notes, stories, memories, and moments that have shaped this vast body of work in Shirley Trevena’s Watercolors. Learn to capture light in watercolor in all your paintings with this new video series from Thomas Schaller! Capturing Light in Watercolor: How to Paint Cities T7882 ‚!Sfubjm!Qsjdf!%34.99 Zpvs!Qsjdf!%3:/85 Capturing Light in Watercolor: Landscape Painting T7881 ‚!Sfubjm!Qsjdf!%34.99 Zpvs!Qsjdf!%3:/85 Capturing Light in Watercolor: Figure Painting T7880 ‚!Sfubjm!Qsjdf!%34.99 Zpvs!Qsjdf!%3:/85 These and many other North Light products are available at your favorite…

Kowalski enjoys teaching workshops when he gets the chance and is always delighted to pass on his enthusiasm for watercolor. Here are some of his key tips. • Draw a lot. You can only paint as well as you can draw. • Study artists you admire. Also, visit museums to see the best watercolors you can. • Determine why a particular artist appeals to you. Is it his use of color? Her placement of brushstrokes? The subtle change between values? • Limit your palette, but try a variety of brushes and papers. • Educate yourself about pigments. Many colors can be more luminous if you mix them yourself on the palette rather than purchase them pre-mixed in tubes. • Use the best materials you can afford, because they’ll make your…

Red ochre is a familiar substance in my studio, where I have a large collection of jam jars filled with pigments of many hues. I usually buy the pigments from a specialist supplier that offers a wide range of materials for conservators and the ever-increasing number of painters who wish to expand the range of colors available to them—colors that aren’t found in commercial products. So, the opportunity to visit an ochre, or red iron oxide, mine no more than 8 miles from my home was one I could hardly turn down. The mine is located in the woods on the edge of Compton Martin, a small village on the north side of Somerset’s Mendip Hills. A network of underground tunnels, which were probably worked for some considerable time, fell…