Sometimes when I sit to paint I feel anxious with a sense of pressure to create beyond what I can see.
For me art is more of an impression of a feeling and putting those emotions onto paper isn't always the easiest endeavor.
This is especially true if I have energy that keeps me from being still or thoughts that distract. Life can get in the way of my creativity but I find the natural flow of watercolor helps me collect into the calm.
I sort of get lost in the mixing process because the color pallet begins to tell a new story, you imagine their appearance and how they will interact on paper through the natural flow of water.
Maybe too much water is added but somehow it doesn't matter because my dependable #12 round brush sort of leads the way.
The movement is beautiful and this is when I begin to escape towards simplicity.
Every watercolor artist has their own way of adding water and pigment to paper. Some paint wet on wet and others paint wet on dry.
I do a combination, making sure my paper is secure to a slightly tilted surface to keep the paper from warping. I usually begin from the right side and sort of move on from there.
I'm not trying to create what is real or what we can see from a photograph because I find if we look into our heart we might see something deeper.
Perhaps maybe the next time you are in a gallery or at an art show stop for a minute as you look at some watercolor paintings.
- Allow yourself to notice the natural flow and those unplanned details.
- Ask yourself how does it make you feel happy, sad, calm or excited?
- Does it remind you of nature or does it make you want to go explore nature?
Back in 2019 I discovered watercolor painting by taking some classes. The goal was to help me relax but in reality sometimes I think it was to help me let go of control.
I placed this painting on my studio wall, it's nothing special but it does remind me why I chose watercolor. We sort of found each other and I continue to let this medium inspire my flow of creativity.
Be the good,
Carole West
You can currently find my art at The Jefferson Makers Market
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