Image: Raccoon in progress, watercolor on board, ©Rebecca Latham

5 Reasons Why I Love Working With Watercolor

Why do I love watercolor?

It is true, most people do not use watercolor in this way when they work. Often I find that collectors are curious about my use of watercolors, why I use them, and how I stumbled upon what I do. In earlier years, I have experimented with many mediums. ..growing up in an art gallery/supply shop has it's advantages. ;)
All media have their special aspects that are their forte. ..some of which I find myself missing occasionally, like the consistency of buttery oils. However, in my experiments with all of them, none lend themselves so well to the direction I have chosen to take my work as watercolors.

1. I love the variety and vibrancy of colors.

Flipping open a catalog of paints, the variety of color range available is astonishing. I have not found the truths behind why this is yet, but I enjoy them just the same. ..the only dilemma is which to use on a given painting. Pans, tubes, liquid.. naturals to glowing synthetics, opaque to clear transparent.. I even have sterling silver and gold available.

2. I love the forgiveness and ease.

I will be the first to admit.. I fuss, adjust, alter, and rearrange my work. It is just how the pieces progress. The vision of the painting begins as perfect, first stroke of brush to board is perfect, but it’s a struggle of varying degrees from then on.
Odd, I know, to consider watercolor forgiving. But as I have worked with it over the years, it has. I'm sure I'm not the only artist to feel that the medium I work in has to work with me, not against me. It simply is not productive to the creation of art if I have to pit myself against my media. If I need an additional challenge, other than dueling paint, I can always add complexity to the painting itself rather than fight the medium used to create it.

3. Reuse.

I can re-wet, and re-use, and in a sense recycle my palette after a painting session.
This was always a frustration when I worked in acrylics or oils. When using other mediums, my palette of freshly squeezed paint dries out and at the end of the sitting, or sometimes before, is dried out and wasted.. Even using special palettes to store them between painting sessions (acrylics and similar), or tossing the oils in the freezer (which, incidentally, I as always concerned would wind up sticking to the frozen peas, etc.)

4. Prompt Drying.

When I have a new idea and plan for a painting that is spilling onto my board, unfortunate as it may be, I have little patience for the first layer to dry so the work can continue. There is just something about the energy of momentum in that phase. It is not impossible to work around drying, but it interrupts the flow of the piece.
So, given the choice, I prefer that the medium does not stand in the way of the way my work progresses. I also have to admit that I dislike cleanup of brushes, palettes, etc. A quick swish in a clean pot of water vs thorough cleansing or facing ruined tools.

5. History.

I have written about it earlier briefly, but I am very drawn to the history of painting this way. All art forms have their own roots, part of what makes it all so fascinating, in my opinion. Being someone that enjoys digging into facts of antiquity (art or otherwise), finding stories, meaning, and similarities in what was done or valued and how I have developed my work is intriguing to say the least.

Overall, I love watercolor simply because it suits what I enjoy doing, how I work, and my chosen style of painting. It has been such a gift to find something that fits so well.

http://lathamstudios.com/rebecca/2013/08/5-reasons-why-i-love-working-with-watercolor/ ©Rebecca Latham

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Image: Rhapsody, 5"x7", watercolor on board, ©Rebecca Latham

Rivalry and Competition

I am a part of a family of artists. My Mother and sister paint. Many of you may already know this.

We have always shared a studio, or located our studios close to one another since I began painting, drawing, etc. It has it’s benefits.

Not having extended periods of studio isolation is nice, where otherwise the only person I would be speaking to is the cat (he thinks he’s a person). An impromptu critique of something that’s bothering me, or one of them, can pull a painting out of a dreary stage. ..and then of course, running out of burnt umber and having some to borrow only a few steps away is a lifesaver. There are probably others perks as well, but I won’t go on..

We've, I've, been interviewed a number of times concerning this. Reporters, and I suppose the general public, find it intriguing. They often, however, assume there is a viscous nature lurking behind studio doors - there are always questions:

Do you compete against each other? Yes of course. We often show in the same venues, some of those are competitions or juried exhibits.

Do you get along? Do you sabotage each other’s work? If you and your sister are painting pieces for the same exhibit, do you, like, sneak into the other’s studio and mess up their entry?
I’m sure that would make for a very entertaining read, but.. Um. No. (I'm never quite sure if they are serious or trying to be humorous - perhaps the dividing line on that is blurred? ..anyway. )

I would imagine, if that did actually happen, the sharing of or closely located studios would have a moving van parked out front in no time. Honestly, I'd rather set fire to my paintings than damage one of theirs. I love seeing my family in the same exhibits as my work and am cheering them on when they win. ..even if it means I didn't.

Just a few months ago, my sister skunked me in a show. I was delighted. Really. She needed that boost. She's been fighting to get back into the world of shows and exhibits, even just managing to complete work, after her serious health issues she has faced. ..and she soared upon arrival. I couldn't be happier watching that unfold.

I am not saying that I don't care about awards, or exhibits and shows. I'm honored when something I've done is seen to have merit to earn that spot at an opening or accolade, just as I'm honored to have so many people following my work in social media and real life. ..but all of that is dwarfed by the core reasons I do this.

So, sadly for the lovers of great drama, there isn't family rivalry and fierce competition. But for the record, I have had a painting or two sabotaged when the cat wanted to help. So it really wasn’t malicious, just the curiosity (or playfulness) that killed the painting.

©Rebecca Latham
http://lathamstudios.com/rebecca/2013/07/rivalry-and-competition/

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Questions of Stress, Relief, and Relaxation

Several good questions were presented over on Google+ last week. ..so I thought I would post the response here for everyone who might be interested in it..

"A question: Is it stressful while you are painting and you are relieved when it is finished ? Or do you relax and enjoy while doing it ?"

The simple answer: Yes. ..and no.

Painting, when things are going well and it happens to be cooperating, is something similar to meditation. So in a way it is relaxing and one loses track of time and an overall enjoyable experience. (When the painting is not cooperating, that is another story entirely..)

However, while painting, muscles are very tensed and I am braced all over. It isn't really something I consciously do, it is just how it happens - I suppose it is the result of the effort to create strong fine steady strokes in the paintings. As a result, it tends to wear with measurable amounts of painting time, and all areas get sore as a result.

Sometimes picking up a cup of coffee the next morning is nearly impossible. That point is usually a prime time for a nature walk, observing wildlife, or some book or internet related research - anything that I am able to do with minimal use of my hands or arms.

I am pleased when work is finished, of course. However, when all of the fur of a wolf or raccoon for example is complete, it is never quite as I had envisioned it and I have the urge to do it all over again 'correctly'.

It is a little disappointing or empty feeling when a piece is done and I have to start another in order to continue to paint more fur, etc. But of course, starting another work for whatever reason isn't a bad thing, either.

©Rebecca Latham

http://lathamstudios.com/rebecca/2013/07/questions-of-stress-relief-and-relaxation/

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Image - Fox Painting - Detail View, watercolor on board, ©Rebecca Latham

Why do you paint like a maniac?

I occasionally get questions like this. Why? Why do you paint like a maniac? Why put in so much detail? and so on. Sometimes this comes from other artists. Sometimes from the general public.

I shrug. Why not?

Which is met with something to the effect “That would drive me crazy.” or “It would take forever.” - paired with a look that would make one wonder if I had grown another head, and a chuckle.

Possibly. I smile.

This, mind you, isn’t always how conversations go. Many, many people find my work inspiring. ..which in turn, inspires me. I am very grateful for those individuals.

Quite often, when I am out gathering reference, be it early morning in a forest, twilight on a lake, or just spotting a wild animal or bird, the location doesn’t matter. When I have a moment to stop and take in what is around me and really observe.

I am overwhelmed. Emotion wells up and I blink back tears. You see, when I see nature, I see perfection and beauty in the patterns and color harmony that cannot be put into words. The closer one looks at the mesh of intricacies in all nature, animals, the more there is to see. ..the more amazing it is. and the more I am overwhelmed.

And so, when I paint, I try to communicate this.

I have been told on numerous occasions that upon seeing my work in a gallery, etc., that viewers have been brought to tears. It seems odd, but this is the greatest compliment. ..because it means I have accomplished my goal in saying in my painting what my words cannot.

At least for myself in my own work, it seems it would be a lack of respect not to paint these things in nature as they are. I admit that I am simply unable to do so. I fall far short of painting the true representation of what I see in the natural world. But I try my best.

So, perhaps it is a bit crazy to paint like a maniac. I cannot, however, say what needs to be said without it - and I am not sure that would I want to.

Perhaps, my answer is simply, I paint this way because I can.

©Rebecca Latham

http://lathamstudios.com/rebecca/2013/07/why-do-you-paint-like-a-maniac/

#art #artist #fineart #painting #watercolor #originalart #wildlife #wildlifeart #realism #miniature #miniaturepainting #animals #environmentalart #ecoart #kunst #kunstler #maler #gemalde #wasserfarbe #arte #artiste #peinture #aquarelle #inspiration #article #maniac #artquestions