Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2023 i Watercolor Artist

It’s no secret that travel is, for many artists, a vital and reliable source of inspiration—a way to cultivate creativity, with photos and on-site studies of exciting locales, providing abundant fodder for future painting projects. While the well-known scenic spots and famous landmarks are popular for good reason, you can find art-worthy subjects in all kinds of places and circumstances. When artist Helen Oh went on a cruise with her family, for instance, it wasn’t only the picturesque ports of call that made it into her sketchbook; she found unique views on board the ship that sparked equal amounts of enthusiasm. Her watercolor sketches (page 19) capture the joy of her post-COVID, at-long-last opportunity to spend time with family. “You can look anywhere and find inspiration.” —FRANK GEHRY Going to…

Egon Schiele (1890–1918) was 22 years old when he painted this self-portrait in 1912. Schiele was a prodigiously talented draftsman on the verge of international success, but 1912 was a rough year. He and his girlfriend were driven from the Austrian town of Krumau by neighbors who were scandalized by their bohemian lifestyle. They settled in Neulengbach, outside of Vienna. Things were no better there; as at Krumau, Schiele’s studio was a haven for the children who posed for drawings and paintings. The father of a teenage runaway filed unsubstantiated charges of kidnapping and seduction against Schiele. In April, Schiele was arrested for “public immorality.” The police seized dozens of his figure drawings. Schiele was imprisoned for 21 days while he awaited trial. The most serious charges were dropped, but…

Ready to start experimenting with gouache? I suggest you prepare multiple substrates of the same size and tape them on top of one another so you can quickly peel them each off as you complete each painting. You’ll get used to gouache’s tackiness and learn more quickly how to manage brush control and navigate the disappearance of your initial sketch due to the paint’s opacity when you make a few quick paintings in succession.…

Travel,” said Mark Twain, “is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” Texas artist Rance Jones would certainly agree. He paints in a sumptuous, hyperrealist manner to bring back vivid and compelling images of communities around the globe where he has spent his time. His previous projects grew out of sojourns to Peru, Mexico and Ireland, while his current work has drawn from his repeated stays in Cuba. “Out of all the places I’ve traveled, Cuba has been the most enlightening in terms of observing humanity on a different level,” says Jones. “I’ve been to countries where there was a tourist infrastructure that created stereotypes. You’re presented with the people and scenes that you expect to see. Th ey’ve attempted the same thing in Cuba, but if you get in a…

Step 1 Wang's original still life painting was based on photographs of a bouquet of red flowers. “The artwork felt incomplete," he says. “I wasn't satisfied with the composition or the mood, so I put it away for several days. I wasn't sure how to finish it.” Step 2 Later, Wang took another look at the piece to see if it could be resuscitated. “Perhaps I needed to take a different route,” he says. “To start the process, I cut it up, playing with different ways to ‘shatter’ the artwork by cutting.” Step 3 With the artwork now deconstructed, Wang shuffled and played with the pieces. “I studied the strengths and beauty of each piece,” he explains. “Some puzzle pieces found new homes; others no longer fit into the big…

Dan Mondloch (danmondloch.com), of St. Cloud, Minn., is a thirdgeneration landscape painter. He graduated from St. Cloud State University in 2007 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and drawing. He teaches studio, plein air and beginner painting classes in the St. Cloud area. He’s represented by several U.S. galleries and has competed in national competitions, including the Door County Plein Air Festival and Laguna Plein Air Invitational, most recently winning the Jean Stern Distinctive Merit Legacy Award at the 2021 Laguna event.…

For James Richards (@jrsketchbook), there's nothing like a busy plaza or street to bring his creativity to life. He works quickly in ink and watercolor wash to capture a scene's energy. For this particular sketch, he says, “I stood with my back to an old stone wall on a narrow street in Lucca, Italy, to catch this ‘don't blink or you'll miss it’ keyhole view of the famous clock tower.” To convey a sense of depth, Richards used a pencil to draw the tower in the background, then a combination of fine and broad strokes of ink for the middle and foreground. To further heighten the contrast, he used delicate washes of watercolor with lighter values in the distance and darker values in the foreground. “The juxtaposition of the centuries-old…

In adulthood, most of our learning experiences occur outside of a school or classroom. These days, much of the new information we take in is picked up online, in podcasts or on social media. In my experience, however, nothing can take the place of hands-on learning and experimentation. Especially when it comes to a new interest or hobby, we can often fast-track the process by learning from the trials and tribulations of our peers. I’m predominantly a watercolor painter and instructor, but recently found myself attracted to gouache. Its soft yet opaque colors, and the seeming abandon in the brushstroke application without concern about transparency, piqued my interest. I’m excited to share some of what I learned from my firsthand observations, which will hopefully ease the learning curve should you…

Kathie George When the weather warms, I get the itch to travel. There’s nothing else like it to rev up my work—with new subjects and scenery to incite creativity. A bit of plein air painting, followed by a glass of wine—what could be better than that? Plus, a change of scenery, while challenging, helps me combat stagnation. Being in a different environment provides the permission to let go and just have fun. After all, if you’ve never painted a subject before, you don’t expect it to be perfect! James Gurney I look forward to the return of the ferns in summer. Painting ferns outdoors in their natural setting is a brain-stretching challenge. How do you capture all those Bach-like rhythms of the fronds as they turn in perspective? Each time…

Ranee Jones (rancejonesart.com) earned an MFA in illustration from School of Visual Arts, in New York City. His exposure to the variety of cultures there, along with the great disparity of wealth, has greatly influenced the direction of his work. His paintings are widely exhibited and have received many awards—including Best in Show at the 2018 Richeson 75 Figure and Portrait Exhibition and the President’s Award at the 2018 Southwestern Watercolor Society Exhibition. Jones is represented by Forum Gallery, in New York City. The artist makes his home in Richardson, Texas.…

PALETTE Wang prefers Daniel Smith watercolors, especially the Primatek range, which he appreciates for the good flow, high transparency and ability to create textures. He also uses colors by Winsor & Newton, Schmincke and Roman Szmal Aquarius. PAPER The artist primarily uses Fabriano Artistico hot-pressed watercolor paper, as he finds the smooth surface particularly conducive to the drawing experience. “I like my drawing tools to glide and slide across the paper,” Wang says. “The paper sizing and rate of absorption give me the right amount of time to manipulate the wet paints, too. I do occasionally use cold-pressed paper if I want grittier textures.” BRUSHES & OTHER TOOLS Besides pencils and other standard drawing tools, and sable brushes for painting, Wang also uses a number of somewhat unconventional tools. “To…

/ ON THE SHELVES / Paintinq Calm [$20] Find inner calm and happiness in this new meditative and earthy watercolor project book from nature lover, teacher and artist Inga Buividavice. Painting Calm (Leaping Hare Press, 2023) combines the magic of watercolor with the healing powers of nature to take you on a journey toward peace and tranquility. Easy-to-follow prompts allow you to express yourself and create art with ease and joy. You’ll find seasonal projects that explore watercolor techniques and color theory, as well as exercises for finding inspiration and tips for building a creative practice. / MUST-SEE SHOWS / EDWARD HOPPER & CAPE ANN: ILLUMINATING AN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, Mass. July 22-October 16, 2023 In 1923, Edward Hopper (American, 1882-1967) escaped the summer heat of New…

Using an opaque medium won’t refine your transparent watercolor skills, but it can help you develop and strengthen your painting “muscle memory.” Many of my watercolor students struggle to make thick watercolor mixes on their palettes. I try to encourage the muscle memory of mixing thick paint and experiencing the required subsequent tackiness. Gouache, owing to its chemical properties, ensures that artists start with pigments at maximum viscosity, which can then be diluted with substantial amounts of water. This process builds the muscle memory in the painting hand— and is something that can’t be taught by words alone.…

Model sailboats are among my favorite painting subjects, partly because I enjoy watching the life-sized versions on Lake Michigan from my studio window in Chicago. My interest in sailboats was heightened during the pandemic, as I found myself envying the sailors’ sense of freedom and pursuit of passion—with little risk of exposure to the virus—as they glided across the vast expanse of water. In an attempt to capture that sense of independence and joy, I incorporated a model sailboat into a seashell still-life composition on which I’d been working. I liked the result, but felt that it didn’t capture the power of the wind that drives the lake boats. Th en one day I happened upon an eBay listing for a reduced-size plaster cast of the famous Nike sculpture, Winged…

The origins of watercolor painting can be traced as far back as the Prehistoric age, when Paleolithic humans first applied ochre and charcoal pigments in some fluid form to cave walls. When Egyptians introduced papyrus as a surface for art and writing in the fourth millennium BCE, watercolor gained widespread popularity, though most of these fragile works are now lost. Watercolor has a rich history in Asian art, too, where it served decorative purposes in China from around 4,000 BCE, and in scroll paintings from ancient Japan and Korea. In Western art, watercolors were often viewed as a medium meant for preparatory sketches while reserving oil on canvas for the main stage. By the late 18th century, however, the medium came into its own, largely due to the work of…

Paul Wang, of Singapore, is a passionate artist and educator trained in interior architecture and stage design. His mixed-media watercolors make use of elaborate line and splashes of color that appear to be spontaneous but are actually highly choreographed—much like a stage performance. Wang conducts regular workshops in Singapore and around the world that inspire students to embrace a playbased approach to painting. In 2020, he co-founded Sketching PlayLab, an online playground for sketchers that encourages curiosity, with artist Suhita Shirodkar. As an instructor, blog correspondent and instructor for Urban Sketchers, Wang offers this advice: “Don't forget to artfully wonder and wander!” Learn more about the artist at paulartsg.wixsite.com/paulwang and on Instagram at @paulwang_sg.…

On September 28, 2022, our winter getaway on Pine Island, Fla., was directly hit by Hurricane Ian. My family was in Northern Michigan at the time, far away from the firsthand trauma of the event. Once basic infrastructure was restored on the island, we headed down to assess the situation. Although there was some damage to the house, and my studio was a complete loss, I can only feel grateful that, unlike so many others, we didn’t lose everything. The emotional impact of the lives lost and the overwhelming destruction can’t be conveyed through pictures or video. It took us a while to take it all in, but when the initial shock lessened, we started to clean up. After many long days of removing trees, untangling construction debris, power washing,…

“Painting architecture can be challenging, Mondloch notes, “because of the draftsmanship required to get it right. Just like any subject, however, the trick is to simplify the scene into large value shapes. If you paint a few things with better detail, the rest will fall into place." Mondloch says that depicting nature can be challenging, too. “When a focal point isn't readily available, it can take some imagination and curiosity to bring out the nuance of a scene,” the artist says. “In this case, I try to let my subject be the light and shade and, if applicable, hone in on the subtle atmosphere that exists in aerial perspective.”…

PAINTS • Winsor & Newton: cadmium red medium, burnt sienna, cadmium yellow light, white gouache, cerulean blue, cobalt blue, viridian, ultramarine blue, ultramarine violet, permanent rose, Payne's gray • American Journey: Naples yellow, Andrew's (cobalt) turquoise, cadmium orange SURFACES • Arches and Saunders Waterford 140- and 300-lb. cold-pressed, roughtextured paper BRUSHES • Joe Miller Golden Fleece rigger No. 1, Da Vinci Casaneo Jumbo Round No. 6, Princeton Velvetouch Long Round Series No. 12, Rosemary & Co. Series 99 No. 14 long handle PALETTES • Stephen Quiller, En Plein Air Pro MISCELLANEOUS • HB graphite pencil, ruler, Masonite board, continuous spray bottle…