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.
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.
A TANGLED PLACE | Robin Purcell
Watercolor on Arches | 14 14 (36cm 36cm)
I like to find a balance between realism and abstraction. Usually I paint panoramas and avoid foregrounds because I find them difficult to simplify. I decided to challenge myself and compose a series of paintings with the foreground as the main part of the painting. My goal with A Tangled Place was to have one's eye meander up the tightly controlled values of the stylized meadow to the mass of three trees dancing at the top.
To grow as an artist, you must get out of your comfort zone.
Be adventurous.
DANI TUPPER
NORTH RIM | Karen Benco
Watercolor on 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed Arches | 13 30 (33cm 76cm)
Old photos of two different views of the Grand Canyon's North Rim inspired this painting. I mostly paint flowers and previously felt that the Grand Canyon was too difficult to paint. But there were certain competitions I wanted to enter, so I needed to take on more challenging subjects like this. After finishing this painting, I now take on different subjects and ideas with a new attitude. What is holding you back from completing the painting you think you can't paint?
WALK TO THE WHITE HOUSE | Robert Highsmith
Transparent watercolor on 300-lb. (640gsm) Arches | 30 22 (76cm 56cm)
The inspiration for this painting came from a visit to one of my favorite national parks, Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona. The new directions theme is very fitting because I recently moved back to New Mexico, where I grew up. For more than thirty-five years I had been painting on the East Coast in the U.S. Connecticut, Maine, South Carolina and Florida. The regions are all so different, but I believe a painter brings his entire life with him in all he paints. I've had lots of struggles in the transition from countryside to canyons, but I am enjoying the challenge.