Watercolors

Using watercolors, I am exploring the natural world with a new enthusiasm. The medium, known to be the most difficult to master, offers me the opportunity to explore a creative process in a completely oppositional way compared to my training as a Scientific Illustrator. No longer do I need to draw with realism as the goal. I could be loose and almost abstract. Learning that I could draw with the paint brush was a liberating experience. I took to it with gusto. But it wasn’t easy at first.

Learning to use watercolors was initially awkward. Particularly uncomfortable was switching from tiny little detail brushes to the large rounds and flats. I had no idea how to use these oversized tools. Nonetheless, I was deeply intrigued and wanted to know how I would use them to create art. What would my art look like? How would I use my natural history background to inform a more abstract way of producing art?

I am just discovering the answers to questions like these. The brushes no longer feel oversized; in fact, they feel quite comfortable in my hand. There is more knowledge behind how I choose and mix colors. Thumbnail sketches no longer bore me. I have learned what I like; I have learned how I want to use my natural history background in combination with watercolors. Most importantly, I have learned how I want to accomplish this: slightly abstract, yet still representational, works balancing color and value with composition of shapes and brush strokes.

With any art form, there is a lifelong learning process. My plan is to continue learning the process of painting with watercolors, as it offers an endless road of discovery.