60 Watercolor artist | AUGUST 2019
BurningQuestion
Keiko Tanabe
First, I take time to observe the
water I’m painting—its movement
(the waves and ripples, etc.),
color, reflections and what’s
beneath it. I focus on one or two,
but not all, of these elements
when I paint water. Then, I think
of how to capture the light that
bounces on the surface of the
water. I find it helpful to paint
water with horizonal brushstrokes.Carolyn Lord
An object and its reflection link
together to become one shape,
and it’s the placement of those
linked shapes that creates my
composition. The ripples of water
obey the principles of linear
perspective and help me describe
my vantage point. Using the
reflections’ undulating edges and
ripples, I can also describe whether
the water is affected by waves and
currents, or is calm and still.
Shell Beach Opalescence (watercolor on paper, 22x30) by Carolyn LordThomas W Schaller
In the depiction of water in watercolor, it’s all too easy to do
too much. Fewer brushstrokes can often have more power
than too many. The one guiding principle I follow is that
images of water can have both horizontal and vertical
components. The fi rst is better at suggesting movement; the
second is better at suggesting stillness, quiet and refl ectivity.
While it’s not wrong to have both elements in a single
painting, the work can be stronger if one expression—either
horizontal or vertical—is allowed to dominate. The story you
want your painting to tell and the mood you want to create
will tell you which way is best.What’s a secret
you’ve learned that
has made painting
water easier?