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Washed out?

If you have visited commercial galleries in holiday towns or read how to do books you may justifiably consider watercolour painting as a potentially staid and unfriendly media. From my own teaching and professional experience I think it is often perceived by students as being technically difficult to handle and unforgiving in the hands of a novice.
Contents
These pre-conceptions are strongly dispelled by the recently published One Watercolor a Day which in contrast showcases the exuberant and dynamic potential of the media presenting it authoratively as an exciting and flexible material choice for a range of artists. The looseness of many of the visual examples, many images the work of the author Veronica Lawlor, makes the book a joyous feast and from the beginning suggest that handling watercolour can be intuitive, fun and rewarding.
An appeal for this book for distance learners is that it is structured around a series of numbered exercises, its content organised ostensibly around day-by-day challenges. Although arranged around a structure of 42 days and sold as a 6-week course it’s possible to dip into the book rather than being committed to following a linear path through it and that is how I think it would be best used.
The book is comprehensive in content from early advice about what materials to buy and offers sophisticated, technical and pictorial understanding and visual theories, most interwoven seamlessly into the text and communicated accessibly. Unlike many how to type texts that can seem dull and formulaic this is a fluid and easy read. Rather than the classic step by step it offers insight through de-construction of the paintings shown– what was done? And why? Interwoven with tips that anchor the experimentation it offers honest encouragement – the voice of an authoritative but supportive tutor.
Landscapes
The versatility of watercolour as a viable contemporary media is evident from the beginning of this book. Suggestions for content range from expressionistic to realistic approaches and counsel is offered on observational imagery as well as imaginative responses. The range of subjects includes reportage, decorative pattern based and representation through to narrative interpretation. Also considered is the application of watercolour based imagery and material collaborations that wouldn’t automatically come to mind such as the use of watercolour in textiles, ceramics and collage. The course reminds us of the value of less orthodox techniques in media experimentation such adding fingerprints for texture and working with Caran d’Ache watercolour pencils. This range dispels any myths that learning how to use watercolour is a purist pursuit or anachronistic – the ipad paintings that use the Auryn ink app to create digital watercolour paintings propel it firmly into the present day.
As reflected in the title the book demonstrates different types of visual approach – sometimes economical and distilled, edited and spontaneous at other times more constructed and designed. Outside of it pages the great watercolour artists such as William Blake, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Sargent are a reminder that stylistically there are more ways to use watercolour than may be represented within the book. There is still a definite place for very traditional and technically conscious methods of watercolour painting but they are not reflected in this publication. The visual examples seem within reach, are inviting and not formulaic.  This book stands as a refreshing and liberating reminder to challenge outmoded preconceptions about materials and to enjoy the exploration of territories new and would be an excellent precursor to the OCA Watercolour Practice course or an accompaniment to a wide variety of level one courses.


Posted by author: Jo Davies

7 thoughts on “Washed out?

  • I agree you have to ‘learn the rules, to break the rules’ and here are some books which can help free up your work.
    Three by Jeanne Carbonetti, ‘the yoga of drawing’,’the Tao of watercolour’ and the ‘zen of creative painting ‘.
    ‘Masterclass in watermedia’ by Edward Betts,
    and my own favourite for it’s mixed media and very free approach,
    ‘Painting the spirit of nature’ by Maxine Masterfield.

  • Thank you Jo for your excellent review. Have ordered on the strength of this and look forward to taking a fresh approach to a medium which has a reputation for being intimidating but like all of us I’m sure has a vulnerable side which watercolour wimps like myself may take advantage of. 🙂

  • I also have ordered this book on the strength of the review, as I’m doing Painting1 Watercolour Practice. It looks as though it has so much variety in it’s approach, hopefully it will expand my use of the medium.

  • It does look like an interesting book. I don’t do much watercolour and have never learned the ‘proper’ way to do it. However, a while ago I got hold of some book for amateurs that took you step by step through various projects. I raced through them, trying out washes of various kinds, wet on wet, wet on dry, masking etc. It was all very useful, but I didn’t intend to use it for the kind of paintings the authors of the book may have expected. One thing I Learned was that if you fiddle with your washes the washes rebel.

  • I purchased a copy too (from my local indie not the all consuming Amazon). It is a refreshing introduction to the medium not dissimilar to Curtis Tappenden’s 2003 book ‘Watercolour’ (ISBN 9781844030828). The choice of images is strong which perhaps covers up the ‘concise’ text; Tapperden’s book has more detailed instruction with accompanying examples of technique rather than just finished pieces.
    ‘One Watercolor a Day’ is certainly inspiring and attractive and demonstrates the potential of watercolour beyond both it’s traditional image and in ‘non-painting’ applications such as drawing and collage. Some might think it needs a bit more meat fro the cover price.

  • Great to hear about alternative approaches to watercolour. Could you recommend this book for the watercolour reading list to curriculum leaders (probably already have done)? Thanks everyone above in replies for suggesting other interesting books, will try to check some of these out. There is a distinctive “English” aspect to Watercolour 1 (OCA), and that is a valuable and wonderful tradition, and yes it makes sense to start of with localism of sorts, especially as 19th British watercolour was ground breaking, innovative and challenging the rest of Europe in terms of landscape and its representation (Turner for example). Yet even the most “English” artists of the 20th century were so much influenced by European art/ modernism (St Ives school for example in relation to Russian Constructivism, Abstraction etc) . I find that many watercolour books overly focus on the 19th century tradition, as if the 20th c had not happened. Coming from continental European perspective myself, I find that a little limiting, as for me the references to Paul Klee, August Macke, Kandinsky, Bissier, Wols, and the wonderful watercolours by Emil Nolde are hard wired in the visual part of my brain. It would be so refreshing to have a world history of waterbased media, also including the substantial and challenging traditions of Asia (Japan, China, Korea etc). Indeed perhaps we should stop talking about watercolour and start talking about paper based art or waterbased media instead? A few controversial thoughts here just for the New Year.

  • Those replies are very welcome and have given me much food for thought too. I agree with the comment that the instruction is light in this book (which may be in some ways at odds with a book that describes itself as a course.) There are as many books as there are types of learners and the appeal of this is the sense that the individual response is valued.
    It sits between a very nice “art book” and a useful learning aid.
    Creating or using new definitions is also pertinent …in this book the term watercolour also embraces the apps that seem to mimic the qualities of “traditional”watercolour media and also shows its application on ceramics and fabrics. There is a subtle message that endorses contemporary and individual interpretation and this I think is a refreshing dimension .

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