Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2018 i Watercolor Artist

Creative block. It can happen to anyone. Whether an eager beginner or a seasoned professional, whether a painter or a poet, there are moments when the creative engine just stalls. While it can be frustrating, the good news is that, because few artists are immune to the occasional creative slump, there are a number of proven remedies for beating it. For many, the best answer to artist’s block is simply to step back and allow oneself some time outside of the studio. The idea is to do something that still feels creatively stimulating, but to do it away from paint, paper and brush. Here are just a few examples of tried-and-true solutions that can get you unstuck: • Visit a museum. You could revisit a local favorite, or you could…

In an interview with Watercolor USA Honor Society newsletter editor, Christine Buth-Furness, Dean Mitchell said, “We all sit in solitary and reflect on our lives at some point.” For Mitchell and fellow artist Don Lake, it’s been a lifetime of accomplishment in a medium known for its unruliness and beauty. Mitchell’s childhood in the South during the civil rights movement, and his close relationship with his hard-working grandmother, kindled a fire in him to paint the inherent dignity in his subjects. His portraits are famous for their subtle power and simplified palettes, so as not to detract from the subject. Likewise, his landscapes demonstrate both remarkable craftsmanship and emotional power. Ironically, for realist painter Lake, his beginnings in art were influenced by a museum visit to see abstract expressionism. After…

PAINTS • Daniel Smith (particularly the granulating paints): aureolin yellow, quinacridone gold, quinacridone sienna, cobalt violet dark, quinacridone coral, quinacridone rose, ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, manganese blue, diopside genuine • Holbein: bright violet • QOR: transparent pyrrole orange SURFACE • 300-lb. Arches hot-pressed BRUSHES • Smaller brushes, up to size 16: kolinsky sable, Cheap Joe’s Dragon’s tongue, Dick Blick sable • Larger synthetic brushes: Escoda Versatil synthetic sable, up to size 22, 3-inch hake brush, Escoda Reservoir Liner PALETTE • John Pike palette with the paint wells divided in half MISCELLANEOUS • drafting tape and wide painters tape made for house painting, mouth atomizer from Dick Blick, Pebeo Drawing Gum, Holbein Multi Sizing…

Kathryn Mapes Turner’s childhood sounds like the stuff of fairy tales sprinkled with Dr. Doolittle. She grew up surrounded by mountains, wilderness and family on a ranch in Grand Teton National Park that has been operated by her family for five generations. Her father, a zoologist, was constantly rehabilitating animals, including coyotes, elk calves and all sorts of birds. “I had a pet raven, and we always had a bald eagle in the backyard,” says Turner. Being raised in such a special place had a profound impact on Turner—and her future career. “I felt from a very early age that I wanted to find a way to connect with and express my appreciation for the beauty of this place I call home,” she says. “Painting became that mode of expression.”…

Professor of Art Emeritus at Michigan Technological University, Mary Ann Beckwith ( maryannbeckwith.org ) has twice been the recipient of the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award. She’s a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Allied Artists, Watercolor USA Honor Society, International Society of Experimental Artists (Nautilus Fellow), among many more, and has served on the boards of watercolor societies and judged numerous exhibitions. A respected author, educator, workshop teacher and juror, Beckwith divides her time between the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Northwestern Ontario and New Smyrna Beach, Fla., happily painting and conducting workshops.…

Painting with a sure and delicate touch, Maurice Brazil Prendergast (1858-1924) was one of the best watercolor artists in America. Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Prendergast grew up and spent much of his life in Boston. After working as a sign painter, he moved to Paris in 1891 to study art. While in France, he became acquainted with work by the leading avant-garde artists of the period, among them Whistler, Vuillard, Bonnard and Cézanne. Prendergast was one of the first American artists to appreciate Cézanne’s significance. In 1895, Prendergast returned to Boston, and spent the next few years drawing and painting in the city’s public spaces. In 1898, he traveled to Venice, where he painted Piazza di San Marco. The artist’s stay in Venice between 1898 and 1899 yielded some…

From Gerald Brommer: Paint a still life on watercolor board using only white gesso, cut or torn pieces of a brown paper bag, and black gesso or black gouache. From Milford Zornes: Begin a painting in black. Then, use the first color in your palette, mixed with black. Do this until you use all your paints, with black, in one painting. From Millard Sheets: Do 20 paintings about who you are, and don’t be afraid to see the changes that take place. From me: Paint an abstract (try it in acrylic) about who you are, adding one brushstroke a day over the course of a month. From Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres to Edgar Degas: “Draw lines, young man, many lines. From memory or from nature—it is in this way that…

Jablokow’s move to full-time painting in 2010 was precipitated by the decline in demand for handcrafted architectural illustration that occurred with the advent of lower-cost computer rendering. He began taking classes with Peggy Macnamara at North Shore Art League, in Chicago, and continues to take classes with Alain Gavin, in Evanston, Ill. “I need outside critiques as I work,” he says, “but I don’t know many people to ask for that. Alain is a good source.” As for inspiration, Jablokow names a variety of contemporary and historic artists. “Gottfried Saltzmann has done some impressive, simple compositions with really wet washes and some great aerial city shots with spattered cream or mask over the whole scene,” the artist says. “I turn to Jeanne Dobie’s Making Colors Sing for reference. I like…

Kathryn Mapes Turner ( turnerfineart.com ) is the fourth generation to be raised on the Triangle X Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. She began studying art in her teens from noted local painters near Grand Teton National Park. She attended the University of Notre Dame, majoring in studio arts. She studied at the Corcoran School of Art, in Washington D.C., and earned a master’s degree from the University of Virginia. She’s nationally recognized with top honors from the American Impressionist Society and the National Academy of Equine Art. Her work has been exhibited in the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the C.M. Russell Museum and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. She has been recognized as “Wyoming’s Best Watercolor Artist” in 2001 by the Wyoming Watercolor Society…

PAINT • Liquid Watercolors by Robert Doak: azo yellow medium, phthalo turquoise, quinacridone magenta, transparent red oxide and titanium white; American Journey acrylic paint by Cheap Joe’s PAPER • YUPO; Arches 140-lb. cold-pressed BRUSHES • Cheap Joe’s Pseudo Squirrel, Scroggy’s Loose Goose Dagger Striper, Lizard’s Lick and Fitch Scrubbers MISC. • spray bottles; Paint Easy by Wagner’s to dilute the paint and condition the flow of the spray; various materials for imprinting…

Working from life can be seen as turning the real world into washes. In the real world, a scene consists of many hundreds of thousands of individual objects, and we must combine them into shapes, which we then paint with as few washes as possible. I usually try to combine distant shapes with shapes that I want to appear more quiet in the painting, so these areas will be connected. Meanwhile, the focal point—which should be eye-catching—will have more. This is in tune with how we actually view things instead of the hyper-analyzed study we make when we paint an area. When painting, we become more aware of details than we would be if we were viewing them in the context of the whole vista. I often squint at a…

During his Arctic expeditions, artist David Bellamy ( davidbellamy.co.uk ) has been able to record some incredible moments, such as this montage of a female polar bear, worked up from several original sketches. “The bear dove into a fjord, swam to a small islet and then produced an amazing performance of drying herself by rubbing her chin and her back in the snow,” says Bellamy. “Once dry, she began chasing birds and eating their eggs, all against the dramatic backdrop of glacier scenery. We were quite close, in a small boat, so I was able to capture much detail. At times she posed statuesquely for ages. Eventually, after all the excitement, she fell asleep.” YOUR TURN! Share a sketch that captures animal behavior. @ArtistsNetwork on Instagram: #everywatercolor_animals…

I first discovered YUPO paper about 20 years ago when it went by the name Kimdura. Since then, many watermedia artists have had a chance to try it. If you haven’t, here’s what you need to know about this slick, waterproof, somewhat challenging but oh-so-fun surface. WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL? YUPO is a synthetic paper made of polypropylene—plastic. It’s 100 percent waterproof, very strong, tear-resistant and recyclable. There are two main advantages to the surface. The first is removability. Transparent watercolor can be readily removed at any time in the painting process. This makes altering your work or fixing mistakes relatively easy. Even a dry paint film can be re-wetted and removed, or altered. Also, you can preserve the white of the paper as you work, of course, but it…

Award-winning artist Kris Parins (krisparins.com) maintains studios in Wisconsin and Florida. Her work has been featured in Watercolor Artist and International Artist magazines, and in the Splash book series. Parins is a signature member of AWS, NWS and TWSA. Her work is included in many private and public collections, including the Woodson Art Museum. Illinois artist Tom Lynch (tomlynch.com) is an internationally known watercolorist with more than 35 years of painting and teaching experience. His work has been exhibited widely, including a solo show in Paris. Lynch is the author of eight art instructional books and five PBS television series. Videos of his painting process can be viewed on artacademylive.com. Chris Krupinski (chriskrupinski.com), of Hurricane, W.V., is a Dolphin Fellow with the American Watercolor Society (AWS), and a signature member…

Peter Jablokow ( peterillustrator.com ) was born and raised in La Grange Park, Ill. His mother, Alla Jablokow, is a professional artist, and he has fond memories of coming home from school to find her working away at the kitchen table. He enjoyed painting as a child, but when it came time for school, he trained as an architect at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Jablokow worked for more than 20 years as an architectural illustrator in Chicago before the advent of computer rendering changed the nature of the business. Since 2008, he has been a full-time painter, teacher and workshop instructor. His work has earned many awards, including the American Watercolor Society Joan Ashley Rothermel Memorial Award in 2017 and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America…

1. I begin my morning at 6:30 a.m. by feeding the birds and having tea and breakfast with my wife, Marta. Watching the various finches, chickadees and juncos feed, and seeing the occasional bald eagle fly up and down the river, is a good way to start the day. 2. At 8:00 a.m. I enter my studio, which was built in 2002 about 50 yards up river from our home. It’s my dream studio, and I’ve honored it every day. It sits just above the Rio Grande River, and my painting window faces true north. “Occasionally, while paint is drying, I step out on my deck, take in some fresh air and enjoy a favorite view.” 3. I have an east-facing, 4x6-foot room with a window that’s dedicated to meditation.…

Amass a trove of helpful tools. Gather photos, bits of paper, typography and torn paper, and scraps of paintings for inspiration. I cut out rectangles or squares, about the size of a playing card, from the center of a piece of white card stock and always have them on hand. Never declare your work a failure. Your painting might simply require more attention. Study it to see what needs to be done next. Add lights or darks. Simplify or add detail. Add lines or shapes. Embrace what you love. Paint what you love. Don’t paint what others want you to paint. It’ll show in your work. Learn your craft. Take workshops, seminars or classes. Read books and magazines. Watch videos and see what others are doing. Study all that you…

Use one of these prompts to record something from your day: • Where did I go? • What did I see? • What did I wear? • What did I eat/drink? • Who did I see/meet? • What did I do? • What did I use/handle/ touch? • What did I buy? • What’s new? • What’s old? • What did I throw out? • What’s the same as usual (a routine or repetitive event)? • What’s different than usual (a unique event)? • What’s a random thing that happened? • What’s a silly thing that happened? • On this day, what will be a memory?…