28 Watercolor artist | FEBRUARY 2019

THE YEAR’S BEST

PA I N T I NG S

WATERCOLOR SOCIETIES FROM AROUND NORTH AMERICA

COME TOGETHER TO PRESENT THE BEST PAINTINGS OF 2018.

By McKenzie Graham

“My inspiration for this painting was my

mom. I traveled to Hong Kong in 2014

and saw an old lady when I was strolling

down the market. At the time, I was

deeply impacted by that scene. For

a moment, I thought I was seeing my

mother again. My mother passed away

when I was young. She was busy and

had to take care of the family. There

were too many stresses on her, so she

suffered from illness in her later years.

This piece represents my yearning for

her. I’ve seen so many mothers spend

their entire lives with their children. The

old woman I saw in Hong Kong was defi-

nitely one of them.

“I used high-contrast color to indicate

my strong emotional response. If I

would’ve used only low-saturation colors,

then it wouldn’t visually astonish audi-

ences; therefore, I exaggerated the color

contrast and value differences. The stable

composition is created by a triangular

shape of the three primary fi gures.”

“Zhang’s painting is illed

to the brim with interest-

ing detail. Every inch of

the surface is fascinating.

While this sounds posi-

tive, it can also be the

downfall of a inished

work. Too much informa-

tion can lead to visual

chaos, but by carefully

prioritizing the surface,

leading the eye from the

least to the most import-

ant aspects, Zhang

avoids that pitfall and

leads us into an exotic

slice of Hong Kong life.”

— JOHN SALMINEN, JUROR

T

he elements of a standout painting are sometimes elusive. What’s

puzzling to one person might be enlightening to another. h is lay-

ering of meaning is part of what makes looking at artwork such an

individual experience, and it’s part of why each year’s grouping of

the best paintings is unique from every other year’s. In this batch

we have abstract, i gurative, landscape and still life; we have joyful

color and muted palettes; we have small- and large-scale works.

Altogether, we have 21 paintings that evoke that gorgeous palimp-

sest of emotions so indicative of the best art.

Transparent Watercolor

Society of America

Xiaochang Zhang

San Ramon, Calif.

Mother—Hong Kong

(watercolor on paper, 40x30)