It is said that when one paints wet on wet with watercolors, one never paints alone. The artist almost always relinquishes some element of control over to the medium; the pigment, water and paper do the rest. Trying to take full control of the effects of laying watercolor down on wet paper is akin to trying to hold back the tide. It remains one of the more difficult mediums to master. Mastery of the medium is near impossible to those that aren't willing to let go and and let it flow.
An art instructor at one of the local art colleges once wrestled with a student in the attempt to get the student to loosen up. Upon the end of the term, her attempts had not been meet with total success. Her advice to the student was to spend the entire summer painting. Subject matter was up to the student. Nothing was barred, landscapes, still lifes, abstracts, portraits, whatever the student desired. The instructors only stipulation was that the student spend the entire summer painting only in watercolors. The student returned for the fall semester with a summer portfolio full of vibrant, invoking and wonderfully interpreted works. Gone were the miniscule details that the instructor worked so hard to reduce. They were replaced with color harmony, contrast and a newfound way of interpreting subject matter. Watercolor has a tendency of promoting such virtues in a piece.
The HAA is blessed to have many fine watercolor artists within its ranks.
So sit back, loosen up and enjoy the following samplings of some of the works of our watercolor artists.
