Watercolor Artist - USA (2020-04)

20 Watercolor artist | APRIL 2020

WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION

FOR THIS PAINTING?

I visited Charleston, S.C., in 2017

with my family. I instantly fell in

love with the city and its abundant

history and rich culture. Since city-

scapes are my favorite subject

matter to paint, I was particularly

attracted to the architectural details of the

buildings and the endless rows of palm trees,

which—when combined—make such attrac-

tive shapes for artists. Although it didn’t

actually rain during our stay there, I decided

to paint a wet rainy-day scene to create a cool

and mysterious atmosphere.

WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT HOW THE

PAINTING TURNED OUT?

I always try to paint the atmosphere of the

scene and not the subject matter itself. In

my paintings, I like to create a feeling of

space into which viewers can step. For this

purpose, creating a sense of depth in the

two-dimensional picture plane becomes

extremely important to me. I’m happy that

I was able to achieve that in this painting.

DESCRIBE YOUR PAINTING PROCESS AND

MATERIALS USED FOR THE WORK.

Instead of painting section by section, I paint

my landscapes as though I’m

building stage settings for a the-

atrical play. I normally start with

a big bold wash for the sky and

the ground. At this stage, I try to

establish some feeling of three-

dimensionality in the picture

plane. I start by painting the

shapes that are at the farthest

distances and then I move for-

ward. Th e last step is to add some

details and calligraphy to pull

the whole painting together. As

far as materials, I normally use

Arches or Saunders 140-lb. rough

watercolor paper and Winsor &

Newton watercolor paints.

DID EVERYTHING GO ACCORDING

TO PLAN DURING THE PAINTING?

I like painting rainy scenes

because I get to work with one

FOURTH PLACE

Yuki Hall

Beavercreek, Ohio

Charleston Rain (water-

color on paper, 14x21)