Watercolor Artist - USA (2020-04)

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of the most beautiful qualities
watercolor can off er—fl uidity.
When I paint refl ections to depict
wet roads, I aim for some combi-
nation of hard-edge and soft-edge
shapes. I pre-wet the paper in
the area I’m working on, then
I drop in the paint and let it take
its own course. Th is involves a fair
amount of risk-taking, and it
never turns out exactly the way
I’ve planned, but I sometimes
get rewarded with the unexpected
magic of watercolor.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT
WORKING WITH WATERMEDIA?
I love working with watercolor for
its ability to produce a variety of
beautiful edge qualities—hard
edges, soft edges, broken edges—
in ways no other medium can.
I strive to take full advantage of
these edge qualities in my paint-
ings as a means for expression.

WHAT HAS BEEN MOST INFLUENTIAL
TO YOUR PAINTING LATELY?
In recent years, I’ve encountered
the works of oil painter Charlie
Hunter. I’m fascinated by the
artist’s ability to produce beauti-
ful yet mysterious atmosphere in
his paintings—atmospheres that
evoke deep emotion. Although
done in a diff erent medium, I’m
inspired to incorporate these
qualities in my work.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO
MENTION ABOUT YOUR PAINTING?
Born and raised in Japan, I grew
up with the concept of notan, a
harmonious arrangement of
light and dark shapes in art
forms. I often work on notan
designs as preliminary studies.
With Charleston Rain, I created
several notans until I came up
with one with which I was satis-
fi ed. I believe that this planning
process gave me the confi dence
to execute the painting with a
high degree of spontaneity.

Mark McDermott

Anchorage, Alaska

Cais Palafítico da Carrasqueira,

No. 2 (watercoloronpaper,15x22)

Jon B Paulsen

Oslo, Norway

Into the Green (watercoloron

paper, 17¾ x21¾ )

HONORABLE

MENTIONS

Th e inspiration for this scene was taken

on the archipelago Tjøme where summers

off er many hours of sunlight. I have a

house there, but it was actually my neigh-

bor’s house and his daughter walking in

the green that caught my eye.

From photos, I knew I had to visit this village near

Lisbon. Th e challenge was fi nding a workable compo-

sition in the jumble of boats, walkways and pilings.