Rachel Rubin Wolf - Splash 16: Exploring Texture

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DOING THE ROUNDS | GRAHAM BERRY

Transparent watercolor on 300-lb. (640gsm) rough Saunders Waterford

28" 11" (71cm 28cm)

Working in the studio from photos taken on a trip to Algarve, Portugal, I was attracted by the very dramatic viewpoint and fantastic shadows. I began with a very pale wash of Aureolin Yellow, Cerulean Blue and Alizarin Crimson and allowed the colors to merge, taking advantage of the rough paper texture. Each little group of figures was painted in one continuous wash, adding more pigment and less water as I continued to add detail. Though I mainly wanted to convey the heat of the midday sun, each figure had to be drawn correctly. Each gesture is part of the story.

Over the years we have found that texture is of particular interest to many watercolor painters. Perhaps it is because watercolor is so adaptable to so many different applications. Endless variations can be produced with the help of common or unlikely toolsor by merely directing water or air through the paintor by tilting your paper. Brushes are optional. In fact, Janet Nunn says, Creating art with texture forces you to rethink how to paint. Yael Maimon advises, When it comes to texture, just go for itwash, scrub, glaze, scratch and lift!

Nature produces an unending array of textures that artists can copy or merely be inspired by. Texture is the fabric of nature. The crinkles, divots and folds in the natural world are what make it astonishing, observes Jill M. Cardell. How to get that intriguing texture on paper? Most in this volume agree: any way you can! Sandy Delehanty notes, The most interesting textures come from pure experimentation. On the other hand, some artists work slowly and deliberately with only pure and simple watercolor techniques. Cindy Brabec-King informs us, It is nothing for me to have at least one hundred hours in a painting .

Texture, unlike tonal value, is not usually the foundation of a painting. Texture acts not as the steel girders of a building, but as architectural ornamentation with its vast decorative styles and motifs that give beauty and interest to a structure. Texture to a painting is like salt to foodeach enhances ones flavor of the subject, comments Cheryle Chapline.

Some of its other facets include bringing ones painting to life. Texture gives your painting a sense of believability, says James Toogood. And Textures reveal what time does to an object telling the story of its life, Deborah L. Chabrian insightfully adds.

Irena Roman shared this short poem by William Carlos Williams that in few words sums up the importance of contrasting color and texture:

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

I hope you enjoy this new and beautiful volume of Splash. Let me know what you think!

Rachel Rubin Wolf

ABBY | TOM HEDDERICH

Transparent watercolor on 300-lb. (640gsm) cold-pressed Arches

11" 18" (28cm 46cm)

I began with a wonderful photograph of Abby caught in the act of sleeping on the living room love seat. The brilliant morning sun cast dramatic shadows and reflected golden light. I manipulated the image in Photoshop to enhance the composition and included my brown coat, which was ready for our long morning walk. In order to bring out the intense yellow that filled the room, I washed an underpainting of New Gamboge on most areas that were not to be left white. What attracted me to the scene was the contrasting textures of Abbys soft fur, the crisp feel of the couch fabric, my soft brown coat, and the hard, shiny lamp and vase in the background.

PRELUDE TO A BEAUTIFUL DAY | KEIKO YASUOKA

Transparent watercolor on 300-lb. (640gsm) cold-pressed Arches

18" 2612" (46cm 67cm)

Padre Island is the second largest island by area in the contiguous United States. Yet it is one of the most isolated places I have ever visited. I felt quite fortunate to be at this unusual location at sunrise. The yellow and red colors gave me feelings of warmth, energy and a sense of peace. I applied layer upon layer of washes to obtain this specific color and value. I used a stippling brush to produce the texture of the sand. As I painted, the sea oats swaying in the wind made me smile. I strove to convey the same harmonious effects to my viewers.

MAJESTIC FALLS | VALERIE HARPER

Watercolor on 300-lb. (640gsm) hot-pressed Arches

26" 24" (66cm 61cm)

I began this painting with a very loose sketch guiding the flow of water and roughly placing the rocks. I then let the paint weave their appearance. My wet, flat 1-inch (25mm) brush loaded with pigments created texture on the saturated hot-pressed paper. I first painted boldly, letting the colors swirl and blend together, working into my precious white spaces with very soft edges. I did not use any masking. When the paper was completely dry, I painted the negative spaces around and between the rocks. A few loose strokes guide the direction of my tumbling water.

Creating texture simply using water, flat-surfaced paper and pigment exhilarating!

Valerie Harper

BARN WITH TRACTOR | LAURIN MCCRACKEN

Transparent watercolor on 300-lb. (640gsm) soft-pressed Fabriano Artistico

17" 14" (43cm 36cm)

I had taken a lot of photographs of barns in the Mississippi Delta, but this was the first one that told me it could be a watercolor. The sun raking across the delicate texture of the grass contrasting with the solid tractor in the shadow of the barn is what compelled me to paint this landscape. The textures of the leaves in the trees, the roof and siding of the barn, and the grasses in the foreground gave me a vocabulary of techniques by which I could tell the story.