Innholdsfortegnelse for Splash 2021 i Watercolor Artist

Making choices, as we all know, can be excruciating, which is why the work of an art juror is both exhilarating and exhausting. This year’s juror of awards, Keiko Tanabe, had the challenging task of selecting just three paintings to receive awards from the 111 works selected as finalists. Happily, she also had the opportunity to name 10 honorable mentions, allowing her to recognize several of the other exceptional pieces that caught her attention and enjoyed her consideration. We’re delighted to present these stand-out works of art in this special section. I specialize in watercolor. Other media just don’t do it for me. It’s a challenging and exciting medium—and not for the fainthearted. Bait & Ice is a studio painting based on plein air sketches. Although the cool houses were…

“The shadows and darkest values will steal the show every single time over hue. Don’t stop painting too soon.”– LANA CEASE When I spotted this bright orange lantern plant in a grocery store, a spark lit in my heart. I played with similar seed pods when I was young. I used to open the outer layer and dig out the seeds from the round pod. Then, I would put the empty seed pod in my mouth and gently squeeze the opening with my teeth. It would make a soft “quark” sound with each pop. With Crystal and Korean Lantern, I wanted to re-create the warm and fuzzy memory I felt seeing the lantern in the store. I chose a dominant, warm yellow-to-orange for the pods and added a crystal bowl…

“My method involves some degree of risk-taking, but I’m often rewarded with the unexpected magic of watercolor.”– YUKI HALL My process for creating this painting involved first turning on loud music. Then, I moistened the entire sheet of drawing paper with water and immediately began applying paint with a large brush. I went with the rhythm of the music, letting the paint and water mix freely to form. After that, I used flat brushes of different sizes to loosely depict the general details of the scenery. I used reference photos when painting the main building in the center, but the sky, river and background buildings were created from imagination. I hope this kind of painting method not only allows the audience to feel my sense of freedom of artistic creation,…

Watercolor artists share a special affinity with water. Water is incredible. It can flow gently and conform to the shape of a container, yet it can be powerful enough to cut metal or move mountains. While we often talk about the importance of choosing the right painting materials, we must also acknowledge that the mastery of watercolor depends on understanding water itself and making it work in harmony with the materials. The artists showcased in this latest edition of The Best of Watercolor, selected from the Splash 22 competition, skillfully demonstrate a high level of understanding of water. They've used it within this collection of paintings to eloquently communicate an artistic and creative vision. Working with water is a part of the skill—and a real skill is “the unified force…

Patricia Guzman (patriciaguzman.org) is a self-taught Mexican painter who uses her paintings and the vocabulary of indigenous roots to express different realities and share social commentary. She’s a member of the International Guild of Realism as well as the Mexican Society of Watercolor Painters, and her paintings have appeared in numerous publications, exhibitions and private collections worldwide. She teaches workshops and currently lives in Playa del Carmen. The Second Place prizewinning painting, Witness, by Mexican artist Patricia Guzman reveals the revered leader of a very private people. When the artist traveled to northwest Mexico to teach a watercolor workshop in 2017, the workshop’s organizer arranged for her to spend a few hours with the Seri, or Comcaac, as these indigenous people call themselves, at their settlement, Punta Chueca. Located about three…

“I love the playfulness of watercolor, which allows for both fluidity and incredibly small detail.”– CHER ANDERSON I grew up on the eastern shore of Maryland, and one of my favorite birds to paint is the great blue heron. I spotted this heron along the shore and was struck by how peaceful he looked tucked into the reeds. As I watched him, I noticed he seemed ready to take a nap, yet there was a hypervigilance and watchfulness in his eyes. I took several photos before heading home. The most technically challenging aspect of this watercolor was painting the bird’s plumage without masking any of the reeds or plants. This owl is one in a series of owls that I’ve painted. I have a fascination with the eyes of people…

“As visual artists, we hone our skills with our inner and outer eye.”– JEANNIE VODDEN In this painting, I used three transparent-staining colors: Winsor blue green shade, permanent rose and Winsor yellow. My glazing technique is wet-ondry, mingling color and then letting each layer dry to create a translucent glow, as well as adding darker values and neutral tones. I used a combination of reference photos and imagination to create this piece. I drew the various elements, gradually painted them, and stepped back to contemplate all along the way, letting my instincts and my love of the subject guide me as I proceeded. Sometimes someone touches your life so deeply, they spark something in you that begs to be recorded. My sweetheart, Doug, passed away in 2017. He was creative,…

Composing a piece often begins with an inspiring element from my garden. A flower will catch my eye, and my mind will start swirling and making connections. There’s a deeply internal element that makes each artist’s expression unique. From that individual place, it flows from our hands, and—with our brushes and colors—we’re able to bring our choices to life on the paper. My Color Palette When planning a color palette, I start by making swatches of all the colors available in a set in order to “soak in” the options. Then, I blend and mix color—using subtle additions or slight adjustments to ratios—until I’ve found the right combinations. So, my palette will have pure tube pigments along the outside rim, and the color mixtures I’ve created on the inside. To…

“To add creative mystery to my work, I try to mix what I see with a little of what I don’t see, whether it’s color, brushwork or value.”– CAROL MCSWEENEY I’ve been thinking about the light for a long time. The sun, so generous in nature, creates warmth and light. We who see the world through this light are the light and universe itself. This kind of thought makes us feel deeply connected with many other Earth-living beings while enjoying a deep connection with ancient times. In Reason of Light—Atom, I painted subjects and objects from everyday life being penetrated with light to depict the metaphorical creation of light. I’ve become more and more charmed with watercolors, which adapt to the nature of paper better than heavily overlapped oils. My…

“What feeds my creative spark is being prepared technically, giving myself over to what’s happening inside of me and facing the encounter between water and color.”– GIORDANO GATTOLIN Driving home after one of my terms as artist-in-residence for the National Park Service, I decided to detour and spend a day in Grand Teton. I stopped to ask a ranger where a wilderness artist should go if they have just one day in the park. She suggested taking the boat across Jenny Lake to hike Cascade Canyon, adding that most people turn around too soon and miss the best views. I hiked through the afternoon, the light turning hazy, and as I came around the corner shown in this painting, the canyon opened up to a magnificent, expansive view. This piece…

In Italy, there’s a saying that you “steal with your eyes.” As artists, this particular method for gaining as much information as we can from the great masters of art is a coveted craft. We learn by studying and analyzing the works of painters we admire, then we add the lessons we’ve garnered from them to our own growing library of technique and content. The work of Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910) is well worth any amount of time spent in study. His 1887 painting, For to Be a Farmer’s Boy, is among his finest examples of watercolors that pair the figure with the landscape. In the image, we experience Homer’s ease of depicting a figure in motion—a boy heaving the weight of a large pumpkin onto one hip while turning…