58 Watercolor artist | OCTOBER 2019
BurningQuestion
Michael
Reardon
Cool, foggy or rainy weather calls
me to the studio to paint. In fact,
around my house, such weather is
known as “a painting day.” The
high humidity means the paint
dries very slowly, leading to
washes that flow smoothly and
wet-into-wet applications that
blend effortlessly. I have to admit
that I even keep a hygrometer
near my desk. When the relative
humidity gets down near 60
percent, I take it as a sign to wrap
up the painting and move on to
pencil studies.
I often remind students that
there’s a reason that the British do
watercolors and the Navajo do
sand paintings. While watercolor
can be done in drier conditions,
it’s much more pleasurable and
effective on drippy days.Gloucester Atypical (watercolor on paper, 12x16) by Frank EberEric Wiegardt
When painting en plein air, I like a slightly overcast
day; it allows me to set up anywhere I choose without
having sunlight directly on my paper or palette.
Direct sunlight on my painting makes it diffi cult to
judge value and color relationships. If I’m simply
gathering photo references, however, a bright sunny
day can be quite inspiring.What weather
conditions most
inspire you to pick up
brush and paint?