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| The Gossips by Norman Rockwell, 1948. |
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I think every one of us loves Norman Rockwell's
illustrations, whether it is a little bit or a lot. They tell stories and
always seem to capture expressions and reactions so perfectly. My favorite has
always been
The Gossips. I actually
kept a copy of it in my wallet all throughout high school. (Yes, another weird
arty habit of mine—at any one time my wallet will have a few pictures of inspiring art
that I shove in there to look at during random times.) But I had no idea that Rockwell
made watercolor paintings.
Rockwell did most of his magazine commissions in oil, although
he did in fact submit several watercolor paintings to the Saturday Evening Post for publication. He often used watercolors to
create sketches and quick studies for his commercial illustrations. He'd work
out his ideas by painting watercolors that allowed him to
explore color options, composition, and other concerns that he'd finalize in
the work that would actually get into print.
Being a proponent of working from life with a model,
Rockwell's use of watercolor isn't such a surprise. He would have been able to
get tons of working sketches that explore an idea in various ways, and then
gather those around him when composing the final work in his studio.
Watercolor painting was a gateway for Rockwell's work, but
he also used it when travelling to depict scenes, architecture, landscapes, and
incidents that caught his attention. Usually painted in his sketchbook and not
meant for publication, these works show a freer hand than what we've come to
know of Rockwell. They border on impressionistic and don't have as much detail
in them as his illustrations.
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Houghton's Mill by Norman Rockwell,
watercolor painting. |
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Across Kensington Gardens by Norman Rockwell,
watercolor painting.
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Rockwell's watercolor paintings allowed him to work differently, and
that is what makes a lasting impression on me. Watercolor is able to give so
much to an artist if they seize the opportunity, as Rockwell did. Knowing this
is just another reason I look forward to each new issue of Watercolor. There's always a tip or method that I can take from the
pages and run with, artistically speaking. Start your subscription today for Watercolor and enjoy that same
opportunity!
