How 10 Watercolor Artists Follow Their Bliss
By Jessica Canterbury
Looking for some watercolor inspiration? These creatives have the whole “follow your bliss” thing figured out. Taking in their inspired works and their artistic processes serves as a creative wake-up call to the rest of us. Enjoy!
Tim Oliver
“I’ve been a landscape architect for 30 years in West Texas, and I’ve spent my career designing and implementing outdoor spaces for the use and enjoyment of my clients. I think I’m drawn to the natural landscape as an escape from the built environment.
“Just a few miles east of my home, the plains break off abruptly at what we refer to as the caprock. As you drop off into ‘caprock country,’ you move from the flat cotton fields of the plains to ranch country and rolling plains. In this region, cattle outnumber people by a wide margin. Cow Country was my attempt to capture the feel of that area: its emptiness, the edge of the ‘cap’ and the stormy springtime sky. I tried to capture the emotions of the scene and in turn stir some in the viewer.
A Road Map
“Working from my sketches, I normally re-create a much less detailed drawing on my watercolor paper as my painting road map. I paint using a layering or glazing process, starting with a light underpainting and progressing to successively darker layers. This method requires that I use primarily transparent watercolors. All of my paints are by Daniel Smith and live in my Holbein 5×11-inch travel palette. I like to mix my own greens, but I do keep sap and undersea handy. Also, I use neutral tint when I need to gray down a color quickly and painlessly.”
What Others Are Saying
“Tim’s choices in how he interprets what he sees and the mood he inspires in the viewer is a clear indicator that he’s an observer at all times — something that’s not easily taught. His control, restraint and painterly approach, combined with his eagerness to move his painting forward, is something I enjoy immensely.” – Iain Stewart
Learn more about Tim Oliver and see more of his work at timoliverart.com
Dorothy Lee
“I’ve always been interested in the human face and figure as a means of exploring different themes and ideas. My portraits depict immigrants and all the richness and complexity of the stories they bring with them. As a way to overcome the limitation of representing a three-dimensional object in two-dimensional space, I use consecutive layers of varied texture, each of which adds depth and context to the work.
A “Eureka!” Moment
“I began Sorrow as an ordinary watercolor painting. As I progressed, I added collage to create a more meaningful image — one that revealed feelings and images from a past experience. To keep the collage images from overwhelming the watercolor portrait, I layered rice paper on it to push it back. I also decided to unite the collage elements into the portrait by adding some to the face. This painting was my ‘Eureka!’ moment. Adding the collage elements was a new experience for me. I felt it to be an ideal match with my style and subject matter. Since then, I’ve incorporated collage and layering into my work.”
What Others Are Saying
“Dorothy creates thoughtful and edgy portraits of people in the Los Angeles area. She uses a tactile buildup of specific collages as the foundation of each portrait.” – Katherine Chang Liu
Bonnie L. Catron
“My inspiration is derived from the imperfect textures of old objects, weathered by time and the elements. The more corrosion, rust and detail an object has, the better.
Getting Salty
“I begin by photographing objects at more than one angle. I look at the shapes, contrasts, values and textures of my subjects and then decide which photograph has the most interesting composition. Then I begin by sketching, and then I paint the darkest areas in many layers to incorporate depth. Doing this helps me decide on the contrast and value for the lighter areas. I leave the paper white where I want my lightest areas. I create the illusion of rust and corrosion by applying salt while the paint is still wet, or paint wet-on-dry to create the look of these and other rough surfaces.”
What Others Are Saying
“Inspired by the contrasting shapes and rustic aspects of tools, Bonnie is able to achieve her signature texture by emphasizing the shadows of overlapped objects and by using wet-into-wet, drybrush, stippling and salt techniques.” – Z.L.Feng
Learn more about Bonnie L. Catron and see more of her work on Facebook.
Lynn Powers
“I want my watercolors to look like watercolors — delicate, sensitive, and strong. Painting is a dance between me, the medium, the subject, and the work.
“I experience figures as columns of energy, connecting and mixing with the space that surrounds them. Then I look for opportunities to both break the form and define it with light.
“Then I study the subject and try to understand specifically what it is about it that pulls me in — typically, it’s the life an older face represents, unadorned and natural. If a color scheme comes to mind, I’ll make note. I also want to reveal the light path, indicate important lost edges and mark the places where I want to dissolve form, so I do a few thumbnail sketches.
“My final drawing must be clear, strong, and accurate. I project the image if an exact likeness is important, but I prefer to draw freehand because in doing so I become much more acquainted with my subject. Drawing can take me several days, with many overlays of tracing paper. I transfer my final drawing to 140- or 300-lb. hot-pressed paper using a light table.
Washed and White
“Once I start painting, I have a tendency to paint right over my whites, so recently I added a step to my process: I apply a very faint wash over everything except the areas I want to remain white. This reminds me to avoid those unpainted areas for the rest of the process. Then I paint the areas that I think are pivotal to the painting, usually the eyes. If they’re not correct, all else is pointless. But in Jake, the beard was first. I wanted it very fluid.
“Next, I work around the face, building one facial feature at a time. I progress to adjacent features until they’re done. Finally I focus on the facial plains, add crevice darks and make sure the reflected light is sufficient.”
What Others Are Saying
“Lynn has a soft touch with her portraits of people she finds interesting. They’re both colorful and stunning in their simplicity.” – Hugh Greer
Learn more about Lynn Powers and see more of her work at lynnpowersart.com.
Eileen Sudzina
“When painting, I lose myself for a while and am free to create and design a work that’s loose and spontaneous on YUPO. I try to capture just the essence of what’s inside myself, painting quickly with a lot of flowing energy. I like for there to be a lot going on close up, but to have the wholeness of the work show that something’s there too.
“West Newton, PA depicts a familiar small-town scene not far from my house. The town is only the length of two blocks, and train tracks run right through it. The small river often attracts kayakers and fishers, and a bike trail runs alongside. I wanted to capture the signs, telephone poles and depth, designing it with color, shape, and line. When you get up close to this painting, there’s a lot of pattern but no real detail.
Spatter and Splash
“I paint standing up with my surface vertical, horizontal, upside down, whatever. Typically, I spatter and splash, trying to get my feelings onto the paper. I let the paint to do its thing and allow its beauty to develop with me helping it along. My best works are generally painted in less than one hour. I’m fast, energetic, spontaneous, and very excited.”
What Others Are Saying
“I met Eileen in 2014 when I juried the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society exhibition. I was blown away by her painting and gave it the Silver Medal. Her work is at once magical, personal, spontaneous, and skillful.” – Donna Zagotta
Learn more about Eileen Sudzina and see more of her work at eileensudzina-art.com
Judy Saltzman
“My final results are better when I’ve invested more planning into the painting. It begins in the field when I photograph scenes that appeal to me. Then I spend a great deal of time digitally manipulating pictures using several computer software programs. I can easily adjust light, tone, and saturation as I look for areas to drop white shapes of various sizes. I search for ways to connect colors in order to create balance. Since values are critical, I often print and study a grayscale copy. Only after this process is complete will I draw my image on paper.
It’s Pouring
“Generally speaking, I like to paint scenes that evoke movement and engage the emotions of the viewer. In Cherokee Wind, I was inspired by the powerful and sacred movement of the Native American dancer. In keeping with the fluidity, I decided to play with motion by pouring the background and randomly dropping water onto the paper.
“I prefer using fresh paint right out of the tube, as it gives me more control over consistency. I’m challenged in mastering greens and avoid all pre-mixed ones, with the exception of Daniel Smith’s undersea green. I’ve created many of my own color charts with every possible combination and use them to guide my efforts.
“In previous workshops I was warned against ‘muddy colors’ and was urged to only use transparent paints. While it was good advice for that period of my development, I’ve since decided there are no rules. I recommend investing in videos and watching them often. Listen to others’ advice, but by all means experiment.”
What Others Are Saying
“The ability to simplify drew me to Judy’s work. The shapes are flat areas of beautiful color. The feeling of movement is a delight.” – JeanGrastorf
Learn more about Judy Saltzman and see more of her work at judysaltzman.com.
Everett Webber
“This painting is from my series entitled ‘The Anatomy of a Series: Hiding in Plain Sight,’ a group of figurative works in which the individuals are hidden in various degrees, abstracted or symbolized, and often are presented in the midst of a profusion of images and design such that the eye of the viewer must travel around the painting to find them. Themes are based on allegory, anecdote, mythology, surrealism, symbolism, whimsy, and personal concerns. Symbolism, especially, has been used in the majority of my recent paintings as a means of communicating with viewers. I use an all-powerful, all-seeing eye in many paintings as a sort of trademark.
“Multiple figures, outlined for the most part by the white of the paper, with the extensive use of multicolored grids in a variety of orientations are featured in The Judgement of Paris. Here symbolism depicts the resultant Trojan War.
Doing Your Research
“Each painting involves a huge amount of pre-planning. I follow up my selection of a subject or theme with Internet and reference book research for the sake of accuracy and authenticity. Then I make extensive studies, including detailed sketches of possible problem areas, and revise as many times as necessary. I visualize in detail the colors to be used and put them on paper. Only then do I complete a detailed pencil drawing and apply paint. I may alter my design and concept at any stage through completion. Typically I flout and tweak the sacred rules of conventional art frequently. I use opaque watercolors, and a lot of black and white.”
What Others Are Saying
“Everett is a surreal artist, whose content is often driven by what he reads. His thoughtful paintings with wonderful narrative passages evoke wonders and spark the imaginations of the viewers.” – Katherine Chang Liu
Jenny Medved
“As an artist and illustrator, I work hard to develop paintings that speak to myself and others by capturing simple moments in time. I also strive to record the beautiful people and cultures around us that may one day be lost or forgotten. This can be anyone from a Native American, or a farmer who still works the land, to a child dressing up as an iconic movie figure. We all have a story to tell, and I’m dedicating my life to looking at who we are, either as a group or as an individual, and what it is that we have to say.
Presence and Story
“Part of my process is to research as much as I can about a subject before I begin a painting — in this case, it was my youngest son. My aim is not simply to capture an image on paper; rather, with each stroke and wash of color I want to honor the person accurately while keeping his or her image and presence alive.
“I enjoy the art of storytelling, and I want the people in my work to show you a glimpse of their lives, most of the time without the use of a backdrop or a scene. I enjoy using body gesture, facial expression and color to set the mood, while giving the viewer a chance to feel the moment and fill in the blanks of what the subject is doing or feeling, making it a personal story to everyone who views it.”
What Others Are Saying
“Jenny has very strong drawing skills and a dedication to her subjects. Detail is there, but it never gets in the way of the message.” – Jean Grastorf
Learn more about Jenny Medved and see more of her work at jennymedved.com.
Ryan Fox
“My curiosity in trying different techniques — pouring watercolors and painting section by section — motivates me. I enjoy pushing my artistic boundaries. This painting is based on my travel photographs from a trip to Vancouver. I was inspired by the unique rising architecture of the place. My photographs are simply reference points, however. I let my imagination and memory create color and detail. My goal is not to re-create the photograph, but to paint the memory of the unique moment in time.
“My greatest fear was returning to painting after being a photographer for 13 years. It took almost two years of reading magazines, books, and websites before I sat down and started painting. One year later, I took a workshop from a well-known watercolorist [John Salminen]. During the workshop, we discussed entering national juried shows in order to promote your work. Three years after that, I sat next to the same painter at the American Watercolor Society awards dinner, where both of our paintings received awards. It was one of the greatest nights of my life. Entering my work in shows inspires me to try new things — to create better work and continually improve.”
What Others Are Saying
“I find Ryan’s work to be exceptional in both composition and execution. His confidence and inventive approach to watercolor is unique and surprising. His bold use of color and tone, combined with loose impressionist brushstrokes or carefully painted passages, leaves his work hard to define. I don’t find this disturbing in the least, but rather the opposite; taken as a whole, his work is fresh and full of life. It speaks for itself.” – Iain Stewart
Learn more about Ryan Fox and see more of his work at rfoxphoto.com.
Nancy E. Caldwell
“I paint from a place I call ‘play drawing’ — it’s where I go when I doodle. I place myself into each painting and let my imagination run wild.
“When I visualize a scene, I draw it quickly onto a sketchpad. I then re-create the drawing on tissue paper the size of my intended piece. Then I layer a second sheet of tissue paper over the first sheet and tighten the drawing, adding details and making minor adjustments. Occasionally, I’ll do it a third time. I then use graphite transfer paper and trace it onto my watercolor paper. I learned the tissue-paper-and-transfer technique while studying to become a landscape architect. This process works perfectly for my design technique.
“My biggest challenge has been having the guts to put my doodles into a painting. I thought they would be rejected as being too childish or too whimsical. My mentor Tom Fong gave me the best advice: ‘No rules!’ The courage to overcome my challenge finally came when I was attending a Ratindra Das workshop. I was blown away because his paintings resembled my doodles.
“Trading Baskets at Dawn, Owens Valley, 1901 was inspired by a dream. That day, while driving through the Owens Valley, I was thinking about a wonderful person who, a few years ago, gifted me a Paiute basket that was found in the valley in 1901. The two came together in my dream, and the result was the painting.”
What Others Are Saying
“I enjoy the semi-abstract nature of Nancy’s work, painted with fast, exciting lines and washes.” – Tom Fong
Learn more about Nancy E. Caldwell and see more of her work at necaldwell.com.
Jessica Canterbury is former managing editor of Watercolor Artist, where this story originally appeared.
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