Watercolor Artist

Packed with page after gorgeous page of illustrations demonstrating tried-and-true techniques, inspirational ideas and the most up-to-date information about must-have painting tools and materials, watercolorists find everything they need in WATERCOLOR ARTIST to help them create stunning art...from start to finish.

Editor’s Note

Happenings

Painting Outside the Lines • Loosen up your style with these seven tried-and-true tips.

demo Painting Loose

After Sir Christopher Wren • Take a deep dive into the technical and stylistic choices behind CHARLES DEMUTH’s depiction of an American scene.

Rock Solid • Value and shape are the two most important elements for minerals done right.

demo

Watercolor artist 25th Anniversary

25 @ 25 • TO MARK THIS SIGNIFICANT ANNIVERSARY, WE SEARCHED THE MAGAZINE’S BOUNTIFUL ARCHIVES TO SELECT 25 EXCEPTIONAL WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS TO ADMIRE ALL OVER AGAIN.

THEN & now • As Watercolor Artist celebrates its 25th anniversary, we asked three renowned watercolor artists—Michael Reardon, Laurin McCracken and Birgit O’Connorto reflect on the changes they’ve made and experienced over the years that have contributed to their successful careers. We also share some of the innovations and milestones achieved in the medium during the past quarter-century.

THE ARTISTS

7 Wonders of the Watercolor World • To celebrate the vibrancy of watercolor and its impact in the art world, we went to seven American and British museums and asked a curator to select a significant watercolor from its collection. Although their choices represent only a small sample of the watercolor masterpieces in existence, these paintings encapsulate the evolution of the medium through the 19th and 20th centuries. The following artists embraced what initially was exclusively an illustrative and topographic medium and took it to increasingly experimental and expressive heights.

A Day in the Life • THE FIGURAL SUBJECTS IN THE PAINTINGS OF

What Lies BENEATH • DRAWING UPON SOLID COMPOSITIONAL PRINCIPLES, LUMINOUS LAYERING AND RICH BACKSTORIES, DEBRA EDGERTON’S REVEALING PORTRAITS HINT AT SOMETHING BELOW THE SURFACE.

Finding Resolution • “My mother-in-law, Marge, passed away this past summer,” Edgerton says. “During the family’s last visit with her, I noticed a transition from agitation to acceptance, as if she was at peace with family coming together to visit. I felt a heavy burden trying to get this painting right. I feel I fell a bit short on the likeness, but hope I made up for it with the mood I’m trying to convey.”

My Studio, My Sanctuary • MARIAN PARSONS transforms her painting spot into an oasis filled with all things vintage.

NOT-SO-STILL LIFES • TRACKING HER PERCEPTIONS OF HER IMMEDIATE WORLD, DAWN CLEMENTS ENCOUNTERS EVERYDAY JOYS WHILE CONFRONTING MORTALITY ITSELF.

If you could invite three famous artists—living or dead—to join you for a dinner party, who would they be?

Take Risks