Splash 11: New Directions

163 Pages·2010·12.77 MB·English

by  Rachel Rubin Wolf

Splash 11 | New Directions
THE BEST OF WATER COLOR
edited by Rachel Rubin Wolf
Table of contents
Introduction
1 Natural World
2 Things We Make
3 World of Still Life
4 Places We Go
5 World of Imagination
6 People and Pastimes
7 Birds and Other Friends
Contributors
DURAND DUSK | Tom Linden
Transparent watercolor on 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed Arches 14″ × 21″
(36cm × 53cm)
My paintings had become stagnant and uninspiring. Inspiration came during a
winter sunset as the clouds veiled the sun. I captured the moment with a quick
watercolor study, which led me to more works, including Durand Dusk.
The real voyage of discovery comes not in seeking new landscapes but having
new eyes.
— MARCEL PROUST
DAY OFF | Sandrine Pelissier
Watercolor, acrylic and watercolor pencil on watercolor paper 29″ × 21″ (74cm
× 53cm)
Introduction
In the twenty years since the publication of Splash 1 in January of 1991, Splash
has become a central watercolor gathering place. Here we can share the never-
ending wonder and delight of watercolor together. Here we can inspire and
challenge one another to press on, not just in watercolor painting but in life —
finding the joy, beauty and love present in our lives, no matter what unexpected
or difficult twists and turns we find ourselves navigating.
And as with our lives, Splash 11 is celebrating new directions. We recognize that
we are in a new millennium, with new technology and new ideas coming at us
from all corners of the globe. It is hard to keep up. Yet our new directions are
solidly rooted in old, tried-and-true traditions of art and excellence. Many of the
new directions the contributing artists generously share with us on these pages
grow directly out of real events and stages in their lives.
Pamela Patton writes of painting geraniums from a photo taken in her father's
garden, not knowing that this would be the last time she would see him. Paula
Fiebich tells us how her first trip to Italy affected her life and her art in so many
ways. David Stickel shares that his still life of Chinese tea cups includes
symbolism revolving around his precious adopted Chinese daughter. Every one
of us has many stories to tell, and watercolor painting helps us share these parts
of ourselves, reminding us all that we are not alone, and we are always growing.
Splash 11 brings you some of our longtime favorite watercolorists along with
quite a few new faces, never before seen in print. We have selected a few more
artists from Asia, and we hope you agree with us that watercolor is a terrific
medium for exploring new places, new painting techniques and new aspects of
yourself!
TROPICAL TROUBLE | Vickie Nelson
Transparent watercolor on hot-pressed watercolor board | 18″ × 18″ (46cm ×
46cm) Living in gray, rainy Washington state, I vacation in Hawaii as often as
possible. Having saturated my world with color for the last 25 years, my new
direction is capturing light, regardless of the subject matter. Here I concentrate
on the warm glow of tropical light on the bird. Painted directly and with glazing,
the intense black shadow on the back of the bird was mixed by using the same
reds and greens already in the painting, but with less water.
When in doubt, add water.
— VICKIE NELSON
1
Natural World
COASTAL FOREST IN SUN AND FOG | Marjorie Glick Watercolor on
300-lb. (640gsm) Arches | 30″ × 40″ (76cm × 102cm) While on a painting trip to
coastal Maine, I found the forest enveloped in thick fog. Suddenly the fog began
to lift to reveal the forest. This experience inspired me to focus my work on
moments of transition that transform a scene into something completely new. It
is at this edge where I now find what I want to paint. To create the contrast
between the fog and the sunny foreground, I used semiopaque watercolors for
the fog and transparent staining ones for the foreground.
RED COSMOS | Dani Tupper
Transparent watercolor on 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed Arches | 10″ × 14″
(25cm × 36cm) In a workshop with Jean Grastorf, I fell in love with the
transparency and beautiful blending you get when you pour on the paint. While I
still paint and teach many different watercolor techniques, pouring has become
one of my favorites. I started Red Cosmos by masking the flowers and stems.
Then I poured the background using only the three primary colors. After
removing the masking fluid, I painted the cosmos.