ArtistsNetwork.com 61Mark
McDermott
The importance of planning.
I spend way more time on
the front end, working out
problems before I ever take
water to paper. I spend at
least an hour planning, and
I don’t start until I have a
clear step-by-step path in my
head. This ensures much less
drama in the studio—just
clearheaded execution. And
my painting time is so much
more effi cient and enjoyable.
Also, I apply the principles
of notan. I work from my
own photos and use the
black-and-white notan view
of my image to evaluate
each composition. If the
lights, darks and mid-values
don’t form a strong
composition, I either fix it
or reject it. Having the
underlying composition
completely worked out in
advance frees me to have
fun with color and texture
while painting, confident
that the “big” problem is
already solved.“
In the depiction of water in watercolor,
it’s all too easy to do too much.
— THOMAS W SCHALLER ”
Stephen Quiller
When I’m painting water, I may think about it a little differently, as a connecting device—a band
that interlocks the other forms. It’s also a way to repeat color in other areas of the painting, creating
harmony, and a way to repeat the pattern, rhythm and beat. I’ve learned that it’s important that
refl ections always follow from the viewer’s eye and come straight down and toward the viewer. If
your vantage point is a bird’s-eye view, the refl ection will appear differently than if your vantage
point is ground level. Windblown water has a different appearance than still water. Refl ections in still
water are normally a bit darker and duller than what’s being refl ected. Shadows moving across the
water move against the sun’s direction. Still water is always horizontal.