Splash 14 - The Best of Watercolor : Light & Color

238 Pages·2013·11.23 MB·English

by  Wolf, Rachel Rubin

Best of Watercolor
Splash 14
Light & Color
edited by Rachel Rubin Wolf
CONTENTS
Introduction
1. Fresh Flowers
2. Colorful Destinations
3. The Still Life
4. Water and Boats
5. Not So Wild Life
6. Our Designs and Devices
7. Landscape View
8. People in Motion and Emotion
Contributors
About the Editor
Acknowledgments
Copyright
Morning Cyclist | Fealing Lin
15” × 21” (38cm × 53cm)
Transparent watercolor on 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed paper
Low Sun Provides Unified
Silhouetted Shapes
Although portraits are my favorite subjects for watercolor, I also love the
energy I get from painting landscapes. For portraits, I take a Zen approach,
glazing layer after layer of transparent washes; for city and landscape, I rely
on a very limited number of brushstrokes to tell the story. Between the two
subjects and techniques, I’ve discovered a necessary balance in my painting
life. Working from a photo, I simplified the silhouetted shapes and took the
opportunity to play with color inside those shapes.
Introduction
There are no two words that describe watercolor like light and color. In fact
these two art elements are watercolor’s essence. The breathtaking joy that
prompts many watercolor painters to paint is awakened in a moment of
wonder—a glimpse of backlit hair, rays streaming through a window, a dark
purple shadow against a golden tree.
Jan Archuleta’s moment happened when she saw echinacea “glowing in
the sunlight and the upper petals cast dramatic shadows on the lower
petals.” Kim Johnson saw a man whose “sunglasses and hat left him nearly
entirely in shadow, but I loved how the strong cast shadows sharply defined
his face and shoulder.”
For Dave Maxwell, “An ancient English motorcar with chrome surfaces
reflects midday sunlight from a surrounding enclosure of buildings, providing
shapes for whimsical abstract designs.” Preparing for breakfast, Frank Spino
was captivated by color while watching his wife squeeze “oranges over the
ribbed dome of the juicer when one of those longed-for lightning bolts of
inspiration struck.”
In northwest China, “the combination of warm and cool creates a rich,
luminous feeling of rays” for Wen-Cong Wang, while Fealing Lin creates “a
saturated peachy light” to make her viewer feel the relaxation and warmth
she experienced. Jimmy Tablante was inspired by the “deep emotive colors
combined with the strong contrast” he saw while walking near a park in
Honolulu.
There is nothing that so inspires us as the light and color all around us. I
hope that the wonderful artworks collected here will stir you to take note of
your own inspirations, whether in an exotic place or in your own kitchen
before breakfast.
—Rachel Rubin Wolf
1
Fresh Flowers
Tulips | Keiko Yasuoka
10” × 15” (25cm × 38cm)
Transparent watercolor on 300-lb. (640gsm) cold-pressed paper
I waited for the early afternoon sunlight to bathe the tulips through the
kitchen window. The highlight in the flowers is the pure white of the paper.
Many layered washes were applied to create the soft and transparent colors
in the petals.
Abundance | Kathleen Alexander
27” × 39” (69cm × 99cm)
Transparent watercolor on 300-lb. (640gsm) cold-pressed Fabriano Artistico
paper
Reflect Your Feelings
I painted Abundance at a time when my husband and I had decided to
make changes that allowed me to paint full time. I was expressing the
sense of abundance I was feeling in my life. I took the reference photo for
this painting in the Napa Valley. Abundance brings to mind the hot
summer sun, the smell of ripening grapes and rich soil: the moment in time
that I’m trying to share with the viewer. The high contrast between the
grapes in the light and those in cool shadow makes this painting shine.
Yellow Hibiscus | Kathleen Alexander
21½” × 29½” (55cm × 75cm)
Transparent watercolor on 300-lb. (640gsm) cold-pressed Fabriano Artistico
paper
Three Photos Equals One
Composition
Yellow Hibiscus began with three separate photos. I used Adobe
Photoshop to piece together and resize each of the three floral elements in
the composition. I established the shadows and veins in the petals first,
using Cobalt Blue and Winsor Violet, then glazed over the petals using
Aureolin, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Gold, Pyrrole Orange and Naphthol
Red. By dropping in clear water, I took advantage of blooms to add
highlights and more veining texture to the petals. I used Indigo in the
background and carried it into the veins of the leaves. The contrast between
overlapping petals and backlighting against the complementary Indigo
background creates drama and radiance.