At my recent Reddi Arts class, I decided to do an exercise or two that would stress the importance of water and saturated color in watercolors. Too often beginning students "starve" their paintings of the water in a watercolor painting. Water is the carrier medium for the pure pigment, as oil is the carrier of pigment in an oil painting. But the properties are completely different and cannot be overlooked. Oil allows the smooth distribution of pigment by continually brushing the paint. Watercolor is a minimalist activity, "where you let the water do the heavy lifting" ! Thats why I am fond of saying "Doing a watercolor is a poetic or "zen" activity." In watercolor you allow for the unexpected. I have often said water is the closest thing to spirit you get on earth. Use that water to allow the flow of the unexpected to happen, don't over stroke or overwork to get your results to look fresh. Get the space wet drop in saturated color into that wet space and let it happen. Thats where the real fun is!
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