The Watercolor Blog : Drawing Basics, Portrait Painting

Watercolor: Jane Paul Angelhart: A Practical and Creative Approach to Commissioned Portraits

American Artist — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:54:00 GMT

Having completed more than 400 watercolor portraits of children, Jane Paul Angelhart knows how to avoid potential problems with muddy paints, uncharacteristic poses, nervous children, and overbearing mothers.

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by M. Stephen Doherty

Ballerinas
1998, watercolor,
30 x 22. Collection
the artist.

“I caution other artists that although painting portraits of children in watercolor can be a very profitable enterprise, it can also be a difficult business, especially for a painter who really wants to pursue his or her own agenda,” says Jane Paul Angelhart. “For most clients, the commission represents a major financial commitment and involves them in an unfamiliar process. They aren’t sure what to expect, and they are accustomed to seeing their children in snapshots or school photographs—neither of which really represents the personality an artist will want to capture in a painting. As a result, the painters have to spend a lot of time helping clients understand how the process works best, and why it may not be what they are expecting.

“I couldn’t find anyone to teach me how to navigate the treacherous waters of commissioned portraits, so it took me a while to figure out both the technical aspects of using watercolor and the professional side of working with paying clients,” Angelhart remembers. “I experimented for years to find a palette of pigments that yielded luminous, lifelike flesh tones. When I began painting in watercolors, the standard set one could buy had the basics (black, Chinese white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, viridian, ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, and cadmium red). These pigments are adequate for painting with oil, but they were not transparent and vibrant enough for my paintings of children in watercolor. I also evaluated why some commissions were more difficult to complete than others so I wouldn’t repeat my mistakes. Eventually I figured out how to maintain a profitable and satisfying career, and then I started teaching other artists in order to save them from going through the same struggles.”

Betty Jean
1990, watercolor,
22 x 18. Collection
the artist.

Angelhart covers every aspect of portraiture in her classes, workshops, and on her new DVD, but the most critical component is the selection of tube colors and the sequence of the application on watercolor paper. “After I have carefully mapped out the child’s features, I move right in with what I call the ‘circus colors,’” she explains. “Those pigments include pure quinacridone colors and greens—bright, lively colors that I later tone down when I apply subsequent washes. It is easy to deaden a color, but difficult to make a dull color livelier in watercolor. The bright colors add a depth and interest to the painting, shining through the layers and creating complexity. I avoid using blues and purples in the early stages because those can muddy the colors and make the skin appear bruised or tired.”

In order to reach this stage of applying washes of “circus colors,” Angelhart goes through a process of taking hundreds of digital photographs of her subject, selecting the best of those snapshots, developing a full-scale drawing, transferring the important lines of the drawing, and laying out her palette. Each step is important in capturing a sense of the child’s true personality as well as his or her likeness. “I’ve learned from all my years of doing portraits that I have to be in control of the situation from start to finish in order to create a painting that satisfies me and the client,” she explains. “Anyone can make an exact copy of a photograph, but it takes a lot of careful planning and control to develop a watercolor that really captures the personality of a child.”


River of Dreams 2004, watercolor, 14 x 22. Private collection.	Statom Girls 2007, watercolor, 22 x 30. Private collection.

Katie 2006, watercolor, 15 x 11. Private collection	Daniel 2006, watercolor, 15 x 11. Private collection.

Dancer
1998, watercolor,
15 x 11. Collection
the artist.

One important aspect of establishing control is to have a conversation with a client to clarify the parameters of the commission. “Generally speaking, my clients are middle-class families, not big corporations or wealthy heiresses, so the cost of a portrait is a significant amount of money for them,” Angelhart explains. “They tend to be concerned about committing themselves to the expense without knowing whether they will really like the finished painting, so I put them at ease and give myself needed latitude by telling them I will use their child as the subject of a painting, and if they want to purchase the painting, that’s great; but if they don’t want to buy it, I will keep it for my portfolio. In the end, 99 percent of them will buy the portrait, but by giving them options I relieve their anxiety and avoid having the clients take control of the process. I want to know what size painting they have in mind, where they intend to hang it, and whether they already have portraits of other family members; but I don’t want the mother posing the children, looking over my shoulder while I take photographs, or telling the child to grin. I make it clear that I want to be alone with the child so he or she can get to know me and what I will be doing; and I let them know they won’t see anything until the painting is finished.”

Angelhart travels to the client’s home so she can photograph children in a space where they are relaxed and comfortable. If weather permits, she photographs the children in their backyard or in a play area. If an outdoor pose is impossible, the artist will work near a window in the home, preferably a bedroom or play area where the child is at ease. “The point is to get down to the level of the children—both physically and mentally—and develop a sense of trust and comfort that allows them to relax and be themselves,” the artist explains. “I try to get them to tell me about themselves—their favorite places, the activities they like best, their pets, and so on; and I answer any questions they might have about my interest in painting their portrait.”

Beth With Snorkel
1998, watercolor,
20 x 28. Private collection.

While meeting the child in the early morning or late afternoon when the sunlight is warm and low in the sky, Angelhart takes hundreds of photographs at different locations, with and without props, and at different angles (profile, three-quarter, and full face). In most cases, Angelhart stands a distance from the child and uses a long lens so the boy or girl is less self-conscious about staring into the lens, and so the resulting photographs will be more accurate with less lens distortion. “Although sometimes the very first photographs turn out to be the best, in most cases it is the last few frames that really capture the child’s true personality, because those are taken when the boy or girl has forgotten about the camera and is completely relaxed,” the artist explains. “By that time they aren’t worried about posing or their posture, their expression, or their gestures.”

Although Angelhart allows children to find their most natural position, she does try to have them pose so they don’t have a broad, toothy grin on their faces. She is also careful that the sunlight does not cut across their faces and cast strange shadows, and she gets a few photographs with the sunlight behind the child’s head. “Once the children accept my suggestions, I ask them to sit and stand in various places around the yard or in the home.”

Chase and Summie
2006, watercolor,
22 x 30. Private collection.

Once back in her studio, Angelhart downloads all the digital photographs to her computer and carefully reviews each picture to identify the three or four that can be used to create the most appealing and characteristic portrait of the subject. She makes color print enlargements of those photographs to use as reference and develops a fairly detailed graphite drawing on a sheet of paper that is the size of the intended painting. Once she is satisfied with that drawing, she carefully transfers a minimal number of lines to a clean sheet of 300-lb Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper or a similar weight of Fabriano paper. “I want to keep the amount of graphite on the watercolor paper to a bare minimum, so I just use dots or short lines to indicate the location of landmarks such as the width of the eyes, the bottom of the nose, the edges of the mouth, and so forth,” the artist explains. Most of the ‘drawing’ on the watercolor paper is done with the brush with very pale, nonstaining colors. Angelhart calls this the blueprint or map for her painting.

Mona Lisa Eyes
2004, watercolor,
22 x 15. Private collection.

With her reference photographs illuminated on a nearby computer screen, Angelhart begins mapping in the facial features using Loew-Cornell 7020 Series round brushes (Nos. 4 to 12) and bright, transparent colors, such as quinacridone gold, quinacridone burnt orange, quinacridone coral, anthraquinone red, perinone orange, yellow orange, green gold, olive green (Holbein), phthalocyanine green, manganese blue, ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, cobalt violet, and opera. “The earth colors, such as yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and raw umber, might combine to create great flesh tones in oil painting, but they are too grainy and muddy for watercolor,” she says. “I do have a few cadmiums available for special situations, but I prefer to start with the brightest, most vibrant colors I can find, and then I modulate those when I paint the shadows or when I float washes of color over the first layers of paint.”

She establishes the shadow areas by adding complementary colors to the warm flesh colors—say, a cobalt blue or olive green dropped into a puddle of quinacridone burnt orange. “It’s important not to jump in too soon with cool blues and lavenders that will make the shadow shapes appear harsh,” she explains. “Those strong accents are fine for adults who have angular facial structures, but they are too sharp for a child’s smooth skin. It takes very little paint to turn a cheek or represent a cast shadow alongside the nose on a young person’s face.”

Candler Grands
2007, watercolor,
22 x 30. Private collection.

Angelhart spends quite a bit of time defining the facial features because those are critical to the success of the portrait. “Unlike a lot of other artists, I immediately establish the highlights on the nose, in the eyes, and around the mouth by painting a faint color around the area to be left white; and I establish a lot of other fine details right up front. I can always adjust those later, but I find it helpful to have those critical areas established before I get very far into the painting process. Subsequent washes soften these details later.”
Once the child’s face has been clearly defined, Angelhart blocks in the mass of the child’s hair and the background. “I have to get a sense of a full range of values so I know how to balance the overall composition,” she says. “I paint the hair and background with much looser brushstrokes of wet-in-wet color. The background is the place where I have fun with color mixtures and random washes.”

Phillip
2006, watercolor,
30 x 22. Private collection.

Once Angelhart has marked the darkest areas of the composition, she can go back into the face to add layers of color to deepen and cool the shadows, intensify the pink in the cheeks, darken the shape of the upper lip, and punctuate the corners of the mouth. “In a workshop, I show students how to mix colors on the surface of the watercolor paper rather than on the palette,” she explains. “The less pigment that is brushed around, the more brilliant the colors will remain. I show them how to lay the paint on the paper or drop it into a moist area and then coax the colors to flow where I want them.”

The last step in the painting process is to resolve the painting of the child’s eyes. “There are many things I do before I pronounce a painting finished,” she explains. “I usually take digital photographs while I am painting and convert one of the shots to a black-and-white print so I can recheck the values; and I constantly look at the reverse image of the painting in a mirror to look for slight distortions. The eyes are the first and the last consideration in the painting process, so I check them one last time before I add my signature to the painting.

“Painting a portrait in watercolor is a lot like raising a child,” Angelhart concludes. “It is a fine balance between letting the vibrant transparent colors grow and bloom in unexpected directions, yet being a careful and thoughtful guide who coaches and watches.”

Kerry
2006, watercolor,
22 x 16. Private collection.

About the Artist
Jane Paul Angelhart designed and built stained glass windows for churches, raised two children, drew house plans for a construction company, and did clay sculpture before she began to work in watercolor and oil in the 1980s. In the past 15 years she has completed more than 400 commissioned watercolor portraits. She is represented by Andreeva Gallery, in Santa Fe, and teaches at the Andreeva Portrait Academy, the BACAA, in San Francisco, and the John Laurence Art School of Fredricksburg, in Texas. For more information on Angelhart, visit her website at www.angelhart-portraits.com.

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Watercolor: 20 Great Watercolor Teachers: Biographies and Artwork

American Artist — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:52:00 GMT

We present biographies and artwork from our 20 esteemed watercolor teachers.

by Beth Patterson

Mary Alice Braukman

The Power of Letting Go
by Mary Alice Braukman, 2005,
mixed media and collage, 22 x 30.
Collection the artist.

Mary Alice Braukman is an innovative artist who continually finds new ways to present images that evoke a sense of motion and dimension. Braukman teaches workshops in experimental watermedia and collage for intermediate and advanced painters throughout the country. She is a popular teacher who is generous in sharing her discoveries with students and describes her workshops as “adventures in risk-taking.” Emphasizing design, composition, and individual style, she encourages personal creative expression, the use of new and varied materials, and a love for the artistic process. She works primarily in mixed watermedia, collage, and assemblages. Her work has won numerous awards and her paintings have appeared in various art books and magazines.

Braukman taught art in the public school system of Hillsborough County, Florida, and acted as an art consultant for a school district near Denver. She was the president of the Florida Watercolor Society in 1991 and 1992 and served on the society’s executive board until 1998. She was also the director of Kanuga Watercolor Workshops, held at the Kanuga Conference Center, in Hendersonville, North Carolina, until her retirement last year. Braukman also served as the guest editor for Watercolor magazine in the winter 2001 issue.

In addition to teaching, the artist also consults, lectures, and serves as juror in national, state, and regional watermedia exhibitions. She has been awarded signature memberships from the National Watercolor Society, the Florida Watercolor Society, the Society of Experimental Artists, and the National Acrylic Painters Association, among others.

For more information, visit Mary Alice Braukman's website.

Gerald F. Brommer

Poppies on the Dunes
by Gerald F. Brommer, 2005,
watercolor, 15 x 22.
Courtesy New Masters
Gallery, Carmel, California.

As a renowned watercolor and acrylic artist, collagist, teacher, author, and juror, Gerald F. Brommer is completely involved in the world of art. Brommer is both the author and editor of more than 35 art books—many of which are used as texts in art schools and colleges—and developer of 12 instructional art videos.

He is a life member, and the former president, of the National Watercolor Society and is the honorary president of the National Association of Painters in Acrylic. He is a member of the West Coast Watercolor Society and the National Arts Club, among other organizations.

Brommer has won awards in many national competitive watercolor shows and has had more than 165 solo exhibitions. His work has been included in more than 200 international exhibitions, including ones held by the American Watercolor Society; the National Academy of Design, in New York City; the Royal Watercolour Society, in London; the Butler Institute of American Art, in Youngstown, Ohio; and the Laguna Art Museum, in Laguna Beach, California. He is represented in more than 4,000 private collections in 37 states, in five countries overseas, and by galleries in Carmel, Claremont, and Laguna Beach, all in California; Tampa; Hamilton, Bermuda; and London.

After 26 years of teaching high school, he continues to teach by leading workshops both nationally and abroad.

For more information on Gerald F. Brommer, call (818) 762-5667.

Jeanne Carbonetti

Maine Mist
by Jeanne Carbonetti, 2005, watercolor,
32 x 28. Collection
the artist.

Jeanne Carbonetti has been an artist and teacher for more than 30 years. Specializing in developing the power of the creative process, she is the author of four books: The Tao of Watercolor and its companion video; The Zen of Creative Painting; The Yoga of Drawing; and Making Pearls: Living the Creative Life (all Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York). She has developed a unique method for emphasizing the fluidity of transparent color and uses this technique to reinforce her special vision of natural rhythms.

Her books and workshops are rich, liberating experiences for professional artists and beginners alike. Carbonetti guides her readers and students in exploring the basics of the language of art, in applying the Zen principles of blending body, mind, and spirit, and in following an intuitive rather than purely logical approach. As an artist, Carbonetti believes strongly in the power of beauty to enhance the quality of life. She feels that art is not a luxury but a necessity.

She runs Crow Hill Gallery of Fine Art and The Eden Center for Creative Power, both in Chester, Vermont. By invitation, she exhibited at the Fifth International Biennial of Contemporary Art, Florence, Italy, in December of 2005. Her paintings are in collections both private and corporate throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia.

For more information, visit Jeanne Carbonetti's website.

Betty Carr

Floral Still Life
by Betty Carr, 2006, watercolor,
24 x 30. Collection the artist.

Betty Carr’s energetic style and enthusiasm for painting and teaching create an infectious atmosphere of adventure and a “can-do” attitude among her students. She has traveled the country for many years teaching workshops and has recently published her first instructional book, Seeing the Light: An Artist’s Guide (North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio). Her work has also been included in Splash 5 and various other publications.

Carr earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, in Santa Cruz, and a fine-arts degree from San José State University. In the last 25 years she has taught art to students of all levels, from elementary school through college. When not teaching, Carr contributes regularly to books and magazines as both author and illustrator. A series of lecture commitments and exhibitions fills the rest of her schedule.

Teaching has honed Carr’s distinctive painting style—one that blends her love of nature with her more specific love of flowers. “What catches my eye is the effect light has on form, whether it’s fleeting, spilling over, or striking. I challenge myself to capture its drama and subtleties. The spontaneous qualities of watercolor lend themselves perfectly to my impressionistic style of painting: I strive for confident, enthusiastic brushwork, maximizing color’s value and intensity, and a fresh, painterly approach—the result appearing effortless.”

Her award-winning paintings have been featured in International Artist, Art of the West, Southwest Art, and previously in American Artist. She is a signature member of Knickerbocker Artists and has been recognized with numerous juried awards.

To contact Betty Carr, call (928) 301-4251.

Roberta Carter Clark

Diane
by Roberta Carter Clark, 2002,
watercolor, 22 x 30.
Private collection.

A busy portraitist, Roberta Carter Clark has been represented by Portraits, Inc., in New York City, since 1974, and her commissioned portraits are in the private collections of hundreds of families throughout the United States and England. More of her portraits are in public and corporate collections, including those of universities, hospitals, and banks.

Her paintings have received awards at various national exhibitions, such as those held by The American Watercolor Society, the National Academy of Design, in New York City, Allied Artists of America, the Midwest Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, and the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club. She has juried both state and national exhibitions and has become a popular demonstrator, teaching portrait- and figure-painting workshops across the country.

Clark is the author of How to Paint Living Portraits and Painting Vibrant Children’s Portraits (both North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio). She is also a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America (master status), the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, the New Jersey Watercolor Society, and the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, among others.

Contact Roberta Carter Clark for more information.

Timothy J. Clark

Igreja
by Timothy J. Clark, 2006,
watercolor, 30 x 22.
Private collection.

Timothy J. Clark is constantly creating. His sketchbook, paints, and easel travel with him almost everywhere he goes. Clark’s work—primarily landscapes, portraits, and interiors in watercolor and oil—can be found in the permanent collections of several museums, including the Farnsworth Art Museum, in Rockland, Maine; The El Paso Museum of Art, in Texas; and Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, in Washington, DC. The artist’s sketchbook of drawings of Ground Zero, created on-site within days of the September 11 attack, is in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York.

A faculty member at the Art Students League of New York, in Manhattan, and a professor of art at Coastline College, in Fountain Valley, California, Clark has also taught at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, the Worcester Art Museum, in Massachusetts, and the National Academy School of Fine Arts, in New York City. He serves on the alumni board of the California Institute of the Arts, in Valencia, California, and maintains studios in Capistrano Beach, California; West Bath, Maine; and New York City.

Clark’s work has been featured in recent international exhibitions at the Allied Museum, in Berlin, and the Danubiana-Meulensteen Museum, in Bratislava, Slovakia, and within the country in spring 2005 exhibitions at Hammer Galleries, in New York City; The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, in Dallas; the George Orr Museum, in Biloxi, Mississippi; the Keyes Gallery, in Springfield, Missouri; and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, in Rockport, Maine.

Clark recently received the William A. Paton Award at the National Academy Museum’s 175th Annual Exhibition, as well as both the Salzman Award in 2004 and the President’s Award in 2003 in the National Arts Club’s annual exhibiting-members shows, in New York City.

For more information, visit Timothy J. Clark's website.

Jeanne Dobie

Katrina Aftermath
by Jeanne Dobie, 2006,
watercolor, 22 x 30.
Collection the artist.

Jeanne Dobie is a nationally recognized artist, author, educator, and juror. Educated at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art [now the University of the Arts], she has served on the faculty of Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia.

Dobie is an elected member of both the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society, among other organizations. She has won many awards
in national juried exhibitions, including the American Watercolor Society High Winds Medal and the National Watercolor Society Arches Paper Award.

Her well-known book, Making Color Sing (Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York), has sold more than 100,000 copies and is now available in paperback.

“I’m completely mesmerized by the dazzling effects of sunlight, so creating sun-drenched watercolors is a joy for me,” says Dobie. “There’s nothing so rewarding as watching viewers enter a scene and lose themselves in the luminous world I’ve painted.” Known for her fresh approach to color and design, she has conducted workshops throughout the United States and Europe.

She is represented in numerous collections, including the collection of the Frye Art Museum, in Seattle, and her work has been featured in articles and on the covers of American Artist and The Artist’s Magazine, as well as in various other U.S. and European publications.

For more information, visit Jeanne Dobie's website.

Tom Fong

Coit Tower, San Francisco
by Tom Fong, 2006,
watercolor, 22 x 30.
Collection the artist.

Tom Fong, a native Californian, graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial design. He teaches on a regular basis at various colleges and is a guest instructor for the Yosemite National Park Association. He is a signature member and the former president of Watercolor West.

The artist’s watercolors are bold, spontaneous, and direct, and have been included in many national juried exhibitions and featured in publications such as Splash 6 (North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio) and previously in American Artist.

Fong is a popular watercolor instructor who conducts many workshops, including ones at American Artist’s Art Methods & Materials Show, in Pasadena, California, at the Palm Springs Desert Museum, in California, and with the San Diego Watercolor Society. He has been asked to give watercolor demonstration series for both Watercolor West and the National Watercolor Society. He encourages students to paint “free and loose” through the creative spirit of intuition and improvisation, trusting it to help them make new discoveries.

Contact Tom Fong for more information.

Jean Grastorf

Self-portrait
by Jean Grastorf, 2001,
watercolor, 28 x 20.
Collection the artist.

Originally from upstate New York and a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Jean Grastorf first applied her skills to painting the rural countryside and small villages where she grew up. Now a resident of Florida, Grastorf works with the demanding medium of transparent watercolor to capture the luminous light falling on tropical foliage and water.

The artist has been awarded signature membership in various art societies, including the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society. She has been featured in numerous publications and has received several national awards, including those from the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, the Midwest Watercolor Society, the Montana Watercolor Society, the Southern Watercolor Society, the Florida Watercolor Society, and Watercolor West.

A popular juror, Grastorf has also been a workshop instructor for more than 25 years and conducts workshops both across the United States and overseas. Her work is regularly shown in galleries and is held in various major corporate and museum collections.

Contact Jean Grastorf for more information.

Robbie Laird

Perserverant Partners
by Robbie Laird, 2006,
watercolor, 22 x 15.
Collection the artist.

Robbie Laird, a full-time resident of Lake Almanor, California, is an innovative painter, teacher, and juror who says of her work, “My paintings have multiple layers of meaning that provide a journey into the spirit of natural connections. I want to entice the viewer to explore beyond a literal depiction to find a feeling for the rhythms and intimacies within a subject.”

Laird’s continuing source of inspiration is her lifetime of interest in the cycles and connections in nature. She sometimes uses the unique qualities of flowing, transparent watercolor alone to create mysterious rhythmic works, while in other pieces she incorporates a variety of other watermedia to achieve the desired sense of intrigue.

The former president of the San Diego Watercolor Society, Laird is currently a signature member of Watercolor West and the National Association of Painters in Acrylic and is affiliated with other art associations across the nation. Her paintings and articles have appeared in several recent publications, including Watercolor, American Artist, and International Artist.

After completing her master’s degree in art education, Laird became a fine-arts curriculum consultant, giving workshops for teachers throughout California, the rest of the United States, and abroad. In addition to workshops for numerous West Coast art organizations, she has taught recently in Alaska; on Kauai, Hawaii; in Sedona and Prescott, Arizona; and in Kanuga, North Carolina, where she is the director of watermedia workshops at the Kanuga Conference Center, in Hendersonville, North Carolina. She has been a regular teacher at American Artist’s Art Methods & Materials Show, in Pasadena, California.

For more information on Robbie Laird, visit www.RobbieLairdArtStudio.com or www.KanugaWatercolorWorkshops.com.

Skip Lawrence

Without Fear
by Skip Lawrence, 2006,
watermedia, 22 x 30.
Collection the artist.

William “Skip” Lawrence is a nationally recognized painter, author, and teacher. He is chief contributor and co-author of The Palette Magazine and Watermedia Focus Workbook. He is the author of Painting Light and Shadow in Watercolor (North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio) and his work is regularly included in other books, magazines, and national publications. Lawrence is also a frequent juror for various national and international exhibitions.

An articulate teacher who brings warmth and humor to his classes, Lawrence believes “the search is more important than the find” and emphasizes using enriched color as a tool to convey emotional content. By sharing personal experience and professional insight, Lawrence helps students relax in the face of artistic challenges.

“Creativity is a difficult word,” he says, “because people think it has some magical quality. Really, creativity is following some sort of idea to some sort of conclusion—even if it means going down the wrong road, getting lost, and incorporating that experience into what you’re doing. When you find your own unique approach to working through problems, creativity manifests itself in your work.”

Lawrence recently received the High Winds Medal from the American Watercolor Society. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, in Baltimore, and a Master of Art degree from Towson State University, also in Baltimore.

For more information, visit Skip Lawrence's website.

Katherine Chang Liu

Island Series—Portal
by Katherine Chang Liu, 2005,
watermedia,
18 x 21.
Courtesy Jenkins Johnson
Gallery, New York, New York.

An internationally known painter, curator, juror, and teacher, Katherine Chang Liu is a full-time exhibiting artist whose work has been featured in various books and magazine articles. She holds a Master of Science degree from the University of California at Berkeley, is a recipient of funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and has taught for museums and numerous national and regional art groups since 1978.

When Liu first started painting, she used watercolor to render her traditional landscapes, then she switched to acrylic because it was more conducive to color-layering, which she enjoys. She also often adds collage to her work. Liu, who has shown her work in more than 40 solo exhibitions, brings a special perspective to the medium that comes from her dual cultural heritage, her academic studies, and her experiments in watercolor dynamics.

The artist’s work is held in more than 950 public, corporate, and private collections in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, and Europe—including the collections of the Chrysler Museum of Art, in Norfolk, Virginia; Georgetown University, in Washington, DC; the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in Kowloon; IBM; General Electric; and the Chemical Bank of New York.

Liu is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and is among the most sought after jurors in the country.

Contact Katherine Chang Liu for more information.

Tom Lynch

Chicago Glow
by Tom Lynch, 2006,
watercolor on canvas, 36 x 24.
Courtesy Hilligoss Gallery,
Chicago, Illinois.

Tom Lynch is a popular teacher who focuses on developing a student’s individual needs. He has a passion for teaching, and that same passion is evident in his work. His paintings not only report facts but also express the moods, feelings, and emotions of a place. For 25 years, students from all over the world have attended his workshops.

In his books, television series, workshops, and numerous videos, Lynch has been happy to share his expertise. He has written six books on watercolor, and his latest, Tom Lynch’s Watercolor Secrets (North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio), has received international acclaim. He has a unique way of tapping into the creative process, prodding the creative instinct, and gently pushing the student to explore and fulfill his or her own artistic abilities.

Lynch’s credentials include election into the American Impressionist Society and signature membership in many national watercolor societies. He was honored with a one-man exhibition at the American Embassy, in Paris. His work has also been included in numerous publications including International Artist, The Wall Street Journal, and previously in American Artist. He has also been the featured artist for the men’s, women’s, and seniors’ U.S. Open Golf Championships and several Professional Golfers’ Association events and tournaments.

For more information, visit Tom Lynch's website.

Dean Mitchell

Rustic Elegance
by Dean Mitchell, 2004,
watercolor, 20 x 30.
Courtesy Bryant Galleries,
New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dean Mitchell is recognized as one of the finest painters in America. A native of Quincy, Florida, he received his formal training at Columbus College of Art & Design, in Ohio, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and an honorary master’s degree.

Mitchell was one of the youngest artists ever accepted into the National Watercolor Society, and his work has won hundreds of awards, including first prize at London’s T.H. Saunders International Artist and Watercolour Show, the Hubbard Art Award for Excellence, the Arts for the Parks 1999 Juried Exhibition Grand Prize, the Gold Medal of Honor from the American Watercolor Society, and top honors from the National Watercolor Society. In addition, Mitchell has been honored with numerous one-man shows and is included in Paul Johnson’s Art: A New History (HarperCollins, New York, New York). In 1995, the U.S. Postal Service commissioned Mitchell to create a series of postage stamps honoring jazz musicians. Mitchell is also the subject of an upcoming documentary, Dean Mitchell: The Making of a Master.

His work is included in the permanent collections of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, in Kansas City, Missouri; the St. Louis Art Museum, in Missouri; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, in Kansas City, Missouri; Mississippi Art Museum, in Biloxi; the Greenwich Workshop, in Seymour, Connecticut; the Arkansas Arts Center, in Little Rock; and the Xerox Corporation. Mitchell is also an accomplished egg tempera, oil, graphite, and pastel artist.

Contact Dean Mitchell for more information.

Barbara Nechis

Glen Alpine
by Barbara Nechis, 2005,
watercolor, 22 x 30.
Collection Sharon
and Robert Castillo.

Barbara Nechis grew up in the New York City area, but she now lives and maintains a studio in the Napa Valley of Northern California. In New York City, she has been a faculty member at Parsons The New School for Design and has taught seminars and workshops at Pratt Institute’s Manhattan Center, as well as throughout the rest of North America and abroad. She encourages her students to be self-guiding and to call upon their inner resources to provide a wellspring of artistic ideas.

Nechis is the author of Watercolor From the Heart (Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York) and Watercolor the Creative Experience (North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio). Her work appears in many other publications and collections, among them the collections of the Butler Institute of American Art, in Youngstown, Ohio; IBM; and Citicorp.

Her paintings, deeply rooted in nature, are innovative and lyrical and have been included in juried exhibitions of the National Academy of Design and the National Arts Club, both in New York City, and the Hudson River Museum, in New York, among others. Nechis served as a juror and the director of the American Watercolor Society, where she continues to hold signature membership. She has been a guest demonstrator for organizations such as the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the National Academy of Design, in New York City, and the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour.

For more information, visit Barbara Nechis' website.

Alex Powers

No!
by Alex Powers, 2004,
gouache, charcoal, and
pastel, 30 x 40.
Private collection.

Alex Powers has been a self-employed painter and art teacher since 1970. He exhibits in galleries in six states, juries various national exhibitions, and teaches eight to 10 workshops per year in the United States and Canada. He received the Gold Medal from the 1997 American Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition, among many other national juried-exhibition awards. Powers is also the author of Painting People in Watercolor, A Design Approach (Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York), now in paperback.

Powers’s painting style has evolved into one that focuses on personal, content-dominated imagery. Using gouache, charcoal, pastel, and sometimes collage on
illustration board, Powers employs a loose realism that combines an emphasis on drawing with an awareness of the art of our time. Often he connects the illustration boards to produce work up to 15 feet in length.

“I attempt to deal with issues such as human origins, religion, philosophy, and economic inequality,” says Powers. “These overwhelming issues are difficult to deal with, but they are what interest me. And, since I believe in the singularity of life and art, these issues are the content of my life and my current work.”

Contact Alex Powers for more information.

Stephen Quiller

Ridge Light
by Stephen Quiller, 2006,
acrylic, 44 x 34.
Collection Amanda and
David Basler.

Stephen Quiller is an internationally known painter who works primarily in watermedia, monotypes, and intaglio printmaking. He is best known for his innovative approach to watermedia painting (watercolor, gouache, acrylic, casein, and their combinations) and for his use of color. He has written five books: Water Media Techniques; Water Media: Processes and Possibilities; Color Choices; Acrylic Painting Techniques; and Painter’s Guide to Color (all Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York). The “Quiller Wheel,” a color wheel for painters that the artist researched and developed, is now used by thousands of painters around the world. In addition, he has developed 12 instructional videos, all produced by Crystal Productions.

Quiller has painted in many parts of the world, but is primarily known for his work done at or near his home in the high mountains of Southern Colorado. The subjects of these paintings include beaver ponds, snow shadows, water patterns, wild irises, and mountain rhythms—all capturing the spirit of the San Juan Mountains. The artist is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, Rocky Mountain National Watermedia, and the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, among others. In 1997 he received the Walser Greathouse Medal and cash award in the 130th American Watercolor Society exhibition.

Quiller’s paintings have been on the covers and the subject of articles in various leading art magazines. He has also been an invited juror for a number of regional and national art exhibitions. A popular workshop instructor, Quiller teaches his approach to color, watermedia, composition, and on-location painting throughout North America and internationally.

For more information, visit Stephen Quiller's website.

Chris Van Winkle

Tracy Arms
by Chris Van Winkle, 2003,
watercolor,
22 x 30. Collection Jack Richeson & Co.,
Kimberly, Wisconsin.

Chris Van Winkle is a California artist with roots in Canada, having studied at both the Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California, and the Ontario College of Art & Design, in Toronto. He studied extensively with Robert Hallett and with the legendary Milford Zornes, among others. For the past 15 years, Van Winkle has taught watercolor at Citrus College, in Glendora, California.

A signature member of both the National Watercolor Society and Watercolor West, Van Winkle currently serves as the president of the National Watercolor Society.

He has conducted workshops in California, traveled and painted throughout the rest of the United States and Canada, and has led painting trips to Europe. In workshops, Van Winkle encourages students to put excitement into their work by using descriptive, decorative, impressionist, and expressionist techniques.

To contact Chris Van Winkle, call (805) 772-8875.

Janet Walsh

Starlight
by Janet Walsh, 2006,
watercolor, 20 x 30.
Collection the artist.

Janet Walsh attended the School of Visual Arts and the Art Students League of New York, both in Manhattan. She has studied with renowned artists Mario Cooper, Burt Silverman, Daniel Greene, and Francis Criss.

Walsh is the president of the American Watercolor Society and a Fellow in the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce, London. She also holds memberships in the Art Students League of New York, Allied Artists of America, the National Arts Club, the Kentucky Watercolor Society, and the Artists’ Fellowship, and is an honorary member of the Salmagundi Club, in New York City.

In addition to painting, Walsh writes and teaches. Her book, Watercolor Made Easy (Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York), has been reprinted many times since 1994. She has also developed a series of four instructional videos based on the painting approaches outlined in her book.

Among the awards Walsh has received are the American Watercolor Society’s Bronze Medal of Honor, The Edgar A. Whitney Award, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Award, the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Award, the Winsor & Newton Award, and the Trails and Streams Award and Medallion.

Her work is in the collection of Progresso Corporation, Pfizer Corporation, Avon Products, Leroy Springs & Company, St. Antonin Noble Val, and the National Watercolor Museum, in Mexico City.

For more information, visit Janet Walsh's website.

Frank Webb

Funchal
by Frank Webb, 2005,
watercolor, 22 x 30.
Collection the artist.

Frank Webb is one of the nation’s premier watercolor teachers. He studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and privately with Raymond Simboli and Edgar Whitney. Working as a professional artist since 1947, Webb has received more than 90 major awards, including a Dolphin Fellowship from the American Watercolor Society. He is also a member of the National Watercolor Society, Audubon Artists, and Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Association, among many other art organizations.

Known for their energetic compositions and fresh, clean color, Webb’s paintings have appeared in invitational shows in Mexico, Scotland, England, Canada, Australia, and the Republic of China. He has written three books, including Webb on Watercolor (North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio).

Since 1980, Webb has conducted hundreds of painting workshops throughout the United States and around the world, sharing his own intelligent sense of humor and whimsical style while simultaneously encouraging his students to recognize and nurture their personal vision, sharpen their craft, and awaken a critical view of their own production.

Contact Frank Webb for more information.

Beth Patterson is an artist, teacher, and writer living and working in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. A signature member of the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, and Watercolor West, she was recently named a member of the Watercolor USA Honor Society. Her work is featured in Splash 5 and Splash 6 (both North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio).

Read more features like this from the fall 2006 20th anniversary issue of Watercolor magazine.

Watercolor: Susan Van Campen: Capturing a Flower's Likeness

American Artist — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:03:00 GMT

Likening her process for painting flowers to that of her portraits, Maine artist Susan Van Campen puts patience, skill, and heart into interpreting the life of a flower.

by Allison Malafronte

Bouquet, June
2006, watercolor,
42 x 29½. All artwork
this article courtesy
Hirschl & Adler Modern,
New York, New York.

I think having a garden—being the caretaker of my own flowers and putting tremendous effort into nurturing them and helping them develop—has allowed me to see my subject matter in a more natural way,” says floral watercolorist Susan Van Campen. “It’s almost like raising children: You put endless energy into rearing these tiny seedlings and, as you watch them grow, you’re fascinated by how beautiful each one is in its own unique way.” For this reason, painting a flower for Van Campen is not a matter of arranging an aesthetically pleasing setup or conceiving the most striking composition. It is instead about painting the life of a flower—the naturalistic details that give each its own likeness. “My aim is not to paint a pretty picture,” the artist emphasizes. “Rather, I am trying to capture the character of the flower—almost as if I’m painting a portrait.”

In many ways, flowers have always been close to Van Campen’s heart, and she recalls two instances from her childhood that made a lasting impression on her artistic imagination. “Growing up, there was a watercolor of an iris by Precisionist painter George Ault—who was my mother’s half-brother—hanging in my parents’ bedroom,” the artist says. “I used to just stare and stare at that painting—it definitely had an impact on me.” Van Campen also recounts the life-altering moment she painted her first flower. “I was in third grade, and I remember sitting at the table as the teacher rolled in a huge vase of marigolds to paint,” she says excitedly. “I painted a full sheet of those flowers and thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever produced.”

First Sunflower, July 14
2006, watercolor,
42 x 29½.

Of course Van Campen’s floral paintings have come a long way since her childhood days, and now, instead of using grade-school paint or even the oils with which she learned portraiture, she employs the versatile, direct medium of watercolor—and has come to love the process. “In oil painting, each brushstroke counts,” the artist explains. “But, with watercolor, great things can often happen without the artist expending too much effort. In the beginning, when I was first learning watercolor, it was difficult to adjust to the medium, but the more I worked with it, the more I realized the water actually does a lot of the work. It’s one of those things you can’t teach—just like anything else in life, the more you do it, the better you become at it.”

Van Campen knows this holds true for gardening as well, as she has spent countless hours tending to the sunflowers, daylilies, dahlia, plums, pears, apples, and berries that constitute her lush garden in Thomaston, Maine. But the artist wouldn’t have it any other way—how else could she step into her backyard at any given moment and paint the subject that has always brought her so much joy? “I often go out into my garden first thing in the morning to see what’s newly opened, what catches my eye and makes me want to paint it,” the artist reveals. “I always paint from life—sometimes I sit on the ground in my garden and paint directly from the subject, while other times I’ll cut a bunch of branches and bring them inside, setting them up on white surfaces and in front of white walls.”

Tulips in a Square Vase
2006, watercolor, 23 x 30.

Once inside, Van Campen arranges her setup to bring the most clarity and focus to the subject. “I work on a large white counter with a plain wall behind it,” she describes. “Everything is cleared away so I can concentrate only on the fruit, flowers, and vases that I want to paint.” The artist always stands when she paints indoors, keeping her paper on the counter and her paints on the chair next to her. She uses Winsor & Newton watercolors and Arches 300-lb cold-pressed paper and notes the dramatic turn her work took when she changed the quality of her materials. “When I first started painting in watercolor, I used cheap brushes and paper,” Van Campen admits. “When I switched to a higher-quality paper, I was astonished at how much my work improved—the water and the pigment hit the paper in a completely different way.”

In addition to the quality of her paper, Van Campen counts preserving the white of her background as greatly adding to the freshness and spontaneity of her work. “For me, it’s important to have that white background spacing the flowers,” she says. “It’s like painting a portrait—I wouldn’t want a lot going on in the background distracting from the face of the person. The same is true for my florals—having a white background and surface simplifies everything for me and the viewer. There’s no clutter, and the focus is on only the characteristic details of the flower.” The artist also uses the white of her paper to highlight areas of shine or illumination on her subject.

Apple Tree, October
2004, watercolor, 22 x 30.

Once satisfied with her arrangement, Van Campen begins composing, starting by drawing only the vases or bowls. “I never sketch the flowers, just the containers holding them,” the artist explains. “In a sense, I am drawing all along—only I’m drawing with my paintbrush. I don’t work with a dry brush at all, nor do I work in washes. I am very direct with the paint and am basically just playing with puddles of water throughout the process—a puddle here for the shape of a flower, a puddle there for a stem or leaf—and, as I add the pigment to the puddle, I watch how it’s going to react. At any given moment, I may have four or five wet areas of paint, so I have to be aware of what’s going on around the paper. Because I have been doing this for so long, I know how the water is going to treat the pigment, and I use that knowledge to describe the shape of what I’m painting.”

From this point the process becomes organic for Van Campen, as she continues to respond to her subject and move around the painting in no particular order. “I’m just observing and responding, soaking in the subject and concentrating quietly,” the artist says. “I continue to paint whatever I’m drawn to—perhaps a leaning sunflower, an interesting stem, or a uniquely shaped leaf—there’s no definite process. I am just in the moment and copying what’s before me, always moving throughout the composition to achieve an overall balance.” Sometimes the artist will leave the arrangement and come back later, only to find her subject was unable to remain still. “The flowers move when you paint them,” she attests. “You put them in a vase and come back in the room later and see that they have moved toward the light or they closed up—they are very much alive.”

Left
Amaryllis in Two Pots
2006, watercolor, 40 x 17.

The relatively large size of Van Campen’s watercolors—ranging from 22" x 30" to 40" x 60"—is a direct reflection of her interest in the grandest, most original types of flora. “I love large flowers,” the artist says. “Tulips, irises, poppies, peonies, delphinium, daylilies—they have such great height and character.” The artist also appreciates flowers at every stage of their development, including when they’re first budding, when they’re in their prime, and when they’re beginning to fade. “One of my favorite paintings is Last Bouquet, October because I knew there was going to be a big frost the next day and all the flowers in my garden were going to die,” she recalls. “So I cut a bunch of fruit and flowers, set them up inside, and painted them. In that way, I was able to somehow capture and preserve them in the last phase of their lives.”

About the Artist
Susan Van Campen received a certificate of fine art in oil portraiture from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, in Philadelphia. She currently lives in Maine, where she maintains a diverse garden that provides endless inspiration for her watercolor paintings. The artist’s work is in numerous private and public collections, including the Delaware Art Museum, in Wilmington; the Farnsworth Art Museum, in Rockland, Maine; and the Woodmere Art Museum, in Philadelphia. She is represented by Hirschl & Adler Modern, in New York City, where she recently closed her first solo exhibition, titled “Susan Van Campen: Recent Watercolors.”

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Watercolor: Mary Whyte: How To Create Your Best Paintings Ever

American Artist — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:50:00 GMT

Renowned watercolorist and workshop instructor Mary Whyte offers readers five tips for creating dynamic works of art in any medium.

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by Mary Whyte

Bean Soup
2006, watercolor, 38 x 28.
Private collection.

Having no more than four
or five major shapes is
key to a good composition.
Here, the large oval shape
of the table dominates the
design, making the figure seem
smaller and less assertive.
The rectangular shapes of the
doorway balance the large oval,
and the figure—which is
the focal point—is placed off-center.

There are two things most artists want: One is for their work to constantly get better, and the other is to have it stand out. You probably know artists who seem to continually grow and evolve over the years, leaving behind a body of work that documents a lifetime of creative achievement. However, if you are like the majority of artists, you may be struggling to improve your technique and are constantly searching for ways to make your work memorable. Many artists want to know how to create work that people will recognize before they read the signature.

If this is your goal and you have been painting seriously for more than five years, you probably already have most of the technical knowledge you need to make a masterpiece. Consider, for example, the work of Matisse, Chagall, O’Keeffe, Avery, Picasso, or even Grandma Moses. The individual techniques used by these artists were basic, simple, and straightforward, and ones that many artists can duplicate. Yet their work is regarded almost the world over as masterpieces. What sets these artists apart is not only their techniques but also their ideas and how they chose to present them. So, with this in mind, how can you take what you know, improve on it, and take your work to the next level? Following are five steps to help you achieve this.

Have a Full Tool Box

Technique is just the starting point. Having a full range of technical ability is like having a full vocabulary—you can say exactly what you want, how you want. For instance, if you want to paint sailboats in the harbor on a foggy day, it is critical for you to know how to mix neutral, foglike colors and to control soft, murky edges. And if you want to be able to paint portraits of animals or children, certain drawing skills and a basic understanding of anatomy are fundamental. Being familiar with a wide range of tools and supplies will enable you to always select the perfect instrument for the task at hand. It may take awhile to find the correct materials for the work you want to do, but with enough research and experimentation you will eventually find the right tools.

Firefly Girl
2006, watercolor, 20 x 28.
Collection the artist.

To accurately convey the mood
of diminished light that
occurs at dusk, I used cool
colors for the young girl’s
skin and reserved small, bright
areas of the white paper to create
the yellow of the fireflies.

Keep in mind that no technique or tool is better than another, and each has an appropriate use. Continue to experiment with different approaches and materials so that you can add to your artistic vocabulary. Don’t ever let your lack of knowledge or experience prevent you from painting something you desire to capture. If you want to paint something badly enough, you will figure out a way to do it, and you will be your own best teacher. Be mindful that technique is the means to tell the story, but it is not the story itself. The techniques you use should never outshine the substance of your work.

Know Yourself

If you don’t feel strongly about what you’re painting, neither will the viewer. A seemingly little idea for a painting can be made into a big idea solely by your emotion. The difficult part for many artists is knowing what it is they truly want to paint, what it is that makes their heart sing more than anything else. Too often artists feel there is a limited list of suitable subjects, so they end up producing work that, although technically competent, lacks feeling and looks like everyone else’s. It’s worth the investment of time to take stock of the world around you and pinpoint the subject matter to which you are most emotionally tied. Don’t ever paint a particular subject just because other artists are. Choose your subject because it is important to you.

Red Hat
2005, watercolor, 16 x 17.
Private collection.

Edges—whether hard or soft, lost or
found—play a huge part in describing
the texture and character of a
form and how close it is to the
viewer. In this painting of my
friend Alfreda, I saved the hardest
edges for her face, which is
where I wanted to direct the
viewer’s attention.

Your best work may actually be right in your own backyard. The region of the country you’re from and your neighborhood may be the areas you’re most familiar with, and thus may contain the ingredients for superior pieces. Mary Cassatt spent her career painting her family, and almost all of Vermeer’s paintings were done in the corner of his studio with the light coming from the same window to the left. Forget about which subject matter will win sales. Instead, set your sights on finding what really matters to you. If you feel strongly enough about what you’re painting, your emotions will resonate with the viewer, and that alone will get attention.

Persevere

An artist friend of mine once said that the secret to making a living as an artist was simply a matter of hanging in there long enough. In many ways I believe he was right. The journey to making it as an artist isn’t an easy road, especially in the early years, when other less satisfying jobs often have to be pursued to make a living. Remember, however, that learning to do anything well requires sacrifice and perseverance, whether it’s athletics, music, dance, language, cooking, or rocket science.

Tips for Taking Your Work to the Next Level

Keep a sketchbook or journal with you at all times for jotting down notes and making quick sketches. You never know when the inspiration for your next painting will come along.

Visit museums and galleries. Look at the work of the masters and analyze what makes them successful. Keeping your eye trained will better able you to recognize merit in the studio.

Study with the best. Seek excellent instructors in your area and learn as much as you can from them. Stay away from teachers who want you to copy their work or imitate their style.

Experiment. The best way to discover new techniques and approaches is to try something new. There is no such thing as a bad technique or idea, only one that is in the wrong place.

Get feedback. Listen to the criticism of others. It may sting at first, but use the input for your growth. If you get rejections, reevaluate your work and keep going.

Think positively. Your effort and attitude will be the greatest factor in determining your success.

If you’re serious about moving your work to the next level, you must be willing to experience failures. Although failures can be disheartening on the surface, you will find they are the necessary hurdles to success. Sometimes I think discouragement is just nature’s way of weeding out the ones who are lazy and not entirely committed. It simply takes time to master certain techniques, discover who you are, and evolve into a uniquely creative vessel. Fortunately, art is one of the few vocations in which age is an asset. To every new work we bring a lifetime of experiences and personal history.

Acorn
2004, watercolor, 39 x 37.
Private collection.

Every successful painting
requires a well-considered concept
or idea. You need to not only
know what it is you want to
paint but also how you feel
about the subject. In this
painting of a young girl who
lives near me, I wanted to
emphasize her diminutive stature
against the formidable oak tree.
The imposing scale and force
of the charred tree acts as a
powerful background to the
model’s shy demeanor.

Even for artists like myself, who have been at it a long time, there are challenges to be met every day. A few years ago I painted significant words on each of the seven steps leading up to my studio. The words are there to remind me of what I need every day to paint. Using acrylic paint, I wrote in Italian: Faith, Imagination, Strength, Vision, Inspiration, Courage, and, of course, Perseverance. The life of an artist may never become easier, but it does become fuller.

Paint From Your Heart

Never undervalue your emotions. They are the force behind every good work. As a serious artist you must strive to paint ideas and beauty, not things. Merely copying objects will lead to work that is journalistic rather than poetic, and the results will be paintings that never stand out from the crowd. A painting that is merely being copied is apt to be cast aside after a while, but a work that is driven by one’s emotions will be seen through to its conclusion.

Don’t just copy a landscape; instead, describe how it makes you feel. Envision a Corot landscape: languid, vast, atmospheric, pastoral. Now picture a Van Gogh landscape with its fanciful swirls of thick paint and undulating rhythms. Clearly, each artist felt differently about what he was seeing, but both understood their own emotions well enough to translate those feelings to canvas. Be aware of your emotions and how different subject matter affects you. Make a mental note of what you see around you that surprises and inspires you. When you paint, throw your whole heart into the creation and watch what happens.


Blue Umbrella 2006, watercolor, 30 x 24. Private collection. Having a sense of movement in a painting is one way to add interest. Even if nothing is actually moving in the scene, leading the viewer’s eye through the pictorial space in a rhythmic and continuous manner will give the painting its own sense of motion and life. Here, I created the feeling of rain using water-soluble crayons mixed with watercolor washes.	Sister Heyward 2001, watercolor, 27 x 18. Private collection. One way to make a painting more appealing is to have a variety of contrasting textures. For instance, a hard edge can seem harder if it is near a soft edge and vice versa. As an object recedes into shadow, the visibility of its texture diminishes. In this painting, the swirling steam—created by washes of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna painted wet-in-wet—is contrasted by the hard edges of the model’s face.	Pinwheel 2007, watercolor, 21 x 28. Private collection. A sound painting is made with a balanced distribution of lights and darks, and contrast is what will move the eye through the pictorial space. The area of greatest contrast will hold the viewer’s eye the longest and thus create your focal point. Notice how I painted the dark shape of the model’s hair against the light background of the quilt to draw more attention to her.

Keep It Simple

Once you have identified the things you truly want to paint, keep it simple. Keep to the four or five largest masses in your painting format, and let the beauty of form and color happen within them. Don’t try to put too many things into one painting. For instance, if you see a group of children on the shoreline flying kites with a sailboat and beautiful sunset in the distance, be selective about which of these elements gets the most emotional response from you. The other elements may be interesting and lovely too, but may be best reserved for another painting. If you study the work of great artists you will see that often it’s not just the appealing subject matter or individual details that make their work so strong, but the simple concept and composition.

If you are wondering if you should include a specific element or object in a painting, ask yourself if the item will add to the emotional impact of the painting. If not, then it may be better to leave that particular detail out. You will be surprised how few details you actually need to get your story across. After all, it’s not so much what you put in a painting that matters, it’s what you leave out.

About the Artist

Mary Whyte, a well-known watercolorist from South Carolina, is the author of Watercolor for the Serious Beginner (Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York), Alfreda’s World (Wyrick & Company, Charleston, South Carolina), and An Artist’s Way of Seeing (Wyrick & Company, Charleston, South Carolina). Whyte teaches several watercolor workshops nationwide each year and will be teaching at the Greenville County Museum of Art, in Greenville, South Carolina, April 4 and 5, 2008, as well as at the Creative Arts Center, in Chatham, Massachusetts, from September 22 through 26, 2008. Whyte created her own watercolor brushes and sketchbook—which are available through www.artxpress.com—and prefers to work with M. Graham & Co. watercolors. She is represented by Coleman Fine Art, in Charleston, South Carolina.

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Watercolor: Terry Sellers Buckner: The Delicate Subject of Children's Potraiture

American Artist — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 06:57:00 GMT

Achieving lifelike skin tones and a refined image is at the heart of Terry Sellers Buckner’s success as a portrait painter.

by Lynne Moss Perricelli

Tommy and Danni
2002, watercolor,
14 x 11. All artwork this
article private collection.

Terry Sellers Buckner, of Supply, North Carolina, is booked for portrait work for at least the next two years. Her success has much to do with her association with Portraits South, a well-known portrait broker that secures most of her commissions, but it has even more to do with her skill in capturing the delicate features and skin tones of young children, the primary subject of her portraits. To Buckner, watercolor is the ideal medium for young subjects because it allows a subtlety of tone—achieved through multiple transparent layers—that is unattainable in any other way. “When you lay down a wash, that particular color will sink down into the fibers of the paper, while subsequent layers will settle on the surface, and both will retain their integrity,” she says.

Buckner’s process hinges on her photography of the subject, since she, like many portrait artists, must depend on photos rather than working from life because most of her subjects lack the time for multiple sittings. Using photographs that capture the subject’s likeness and personality, she can apply her considerable painting skills to bring a sense of vitality to the portrait, while at the same time creating the kind of refined imagery so desirable to both the artist and her clients.

The Photo Session
The first step in beginning a child’s portrait is for Buckner and her husband, nature photographer Ken Buckner, to meet with the subject and his or her parents for the photography session. To put the child and parents at ease, Buckner spends time getting acquainted, talking to the child about something that interests him or her and engaging the parents in conversation. “We want to make it as relaxing as we can,” Buckner says. “We try to make it easy for the child, but if the parent is nervous, the child will be stressed. We keep it low-key, photographing with available light—no flash in their eyes every two seconds—and usually the child will respond to either me or my husband, and we go with that. Before beginning the photo session, I look at the lighting situation, preferring to shoot near a window with ambient light rather than direct sunlight. Lighting the subject is very important. You want as descriptive a light as possible on the form.”

Ansley
2004, watercolor,
16 x 12.

Buckner often confers with the parent in advance of the photo session to determine what the child will wear, offering the advice to keep it simple. “What the child will wear depends on whether the portrait is formal or informal, but the most important point to remember is that the subject is the child. We don’t want anything to distract from the head. Any pattern must be a delicate, subtle one. And often the children wear white, which takes on color from the surroundings and from the light—it’s terrific to paint.” Above all, because most clients intend to pass down the portrait to future generations, Buckner reminds them that all aspects of the portrait should have a timeless quality.

Once Buckner has organized the photos (she uses a Canon EOS 10D digital camera), she meets with the clients and reviews them on her laptop. In this meeting she seeks guidance from the parents on the expression that best suits the child. “I choose an image based on shapes, form, and colors, but the parent may look at it and say, ‘It’s a wonderful photo, but it doesn’t feel like my child.’ The parents’ input helps me see what expression is closest to that child,” she explains. The artist also makes notes at the meeting to help her remember important details regarding the facial features, values, and coloring, because it is often more than a year before she can begin the painting.

Lilly Brooks
2004, watercolor,
16 x 12.

The Painting Process
“When it comes to making drawings and beginning the painting, I do all that work at home,” Buckner says. “Honestly I can concentrate much better. The work of the artist is much like the work of the writer—I need solitude, and not to be interrupted.” So once she is back in her studio, she begins a new portrait by making a graphite line drawing in which she determines the composition. “I want to be sure the drawing on the watercolor paper is accurate, so I make any corrections on my initial drawing,” she explains. “The watercolor paper has to be kept pristine.” Using waxless graphite paper, she transfers the line drawing to the watercolor paper, making it as clean as possible and only transferring the lines that are essential. “For some portraits I need more information to begin painting than I do in others,” she adds.

To prepare the watercolor paper, Buckner first soaks it (she favors Arches 140-lb cold-pressed) for at least 30 minutes. She then places it on a lightweight birch plywood panel and staples it down. As the paper dries, it tightens and will stay flat throughout the painting process. The artist notes that it’s important to use a wooden board that’s been coated with paint to prevent the acid from the wood from discoloring the paper.

Elliott
2003, watercolor,
16 x 12.

Choosing a Palette, Layering Colors
The colors Buckner applies depend on the temperatures needed for that particular area of the painting. “I learned to paint by color temperatures,” she says, “and I use both warm and cool primaries. If the light is cool, I use only cool colors: cadmium lemon, permanent rose, and French ultramarine. Occasionally I use cobalt blue, which can be warm or cool. I mix everything from those.” Her warm palette includes cadmium yellow medium, cadmium red medium, and cerulean blue. Referring to the photo, she examines the light and shadow separations. “Often there is a blue wash under the skin, a grayed color,” she explains, “so I lay in a pale-blue wash over the skin area. It will affect the other skin color on top and keep it from becoming too intense.” Mixing all her colors on a white enamel butcher tray, she believes depending only on the primaries makes an artist more sensitive to color. “You can get lazy mixing color if you rely on 50 tubes,” she says. “You don’t learn what color can do. Such a simple palette mixes wonderful, clean color, and it can teach you a lot.”

Generally, Buckner describes her process as first laying in the lightest colors in the shadow side and the light side, then working back and forth between light and shadow, from light to dark. She works both wet-in-wet and wet-in-dry. “If I want the color to flow, I put one color down and then another while the paper is still wet,” she describes. “There won’t be a hard edge on these colors. When I want a harder edge, such as on the plane of the nose, I let the paper dry before I lay in the next color, then I soften the edge as necessary. I work wet or dry depending on what I need.”

Carol, Grace,
and Lilly
2002, watercolor,
28 x 19.

Considering Buckner’s inclination toward a refined image, controlling the medium is one of the most important aspects of her work. “I tend to work on slightly damp paper,” she says. “The color flows slightly, but I’m in control of the painting all the time. I don’t want the paper to be so wet the paint will flow in other areas where I don’t want it to go, because it could ruin the color relationships.” Although she admires more splashy technique and is especially attracted to the loose and spontaneous approach of John Singer Sargent, Buckner believes she has to follow the method that best suits her personality, saying, “I don’t care how many watercolor paintings you’ve done, they are always difficult. You can misjudge something at any time. Watercolor is very fast, but you don’t have to paint fast. I like to go slowly, to take my time. Each artist has to approach the medium in the way that is most comfortable. The most important thing of all is to have a very solid foundation in the fundamentals of painting.”


Mitchell and Bobby 2005, watercolor, 16 x 20.	Hadley 2002, watercolor, 16 x 12.

Ken 1992, watercolor, 16 x 12.	Virginia 2006, watercolor, 16 x 12.

Finishing Touches
Such a high degree of control, however, can yield stiff, unnatural portraits. “When you do the photography, you have to come up with a relaxed expression,” she advises. “Then you paint what you see. A very refined painting that is soft and subtle does not have to end up looking stiff. It’s about a good drawing and a natural expression. That’s why it’s important to help the subject to relax.”

Houston
2004, watercolor,
16 x 12.

When she has completed the portrait, Buckner has a mat cut to her specifications and fitted to the composition according to the crop marks she positions. She then covers the portrait with a rag-mat flap, mounts it to a board, and labels it with the subject’s name. She sends it to the client with framing guidelines that state the watercolor should be framed under UV glass with rag mats and acid-free materials.

Buckner believes children’s portraiture is one of the most fulfilling careers an artist can have. “There’s nothing like it,” she says. “You create something that is meaningful to a family that is unlike any other subject matter. But you must learn the craft and understand that at times it can be stressful. There are new sets of challenges with each portrait, and sometimes the clients do not understand what is possible with watercolor. I try to be approachable to my clients and keep the lines of communication open.” By including them in the process, she can make the experience pleasant for everyone. “There’s no perfect portrait, and with each one there are areas that I would like to improve. But if I can take what I’ve learned from each portrait and apply it to the next one, I am always growing, always learning, and never satisfied.”

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Watercolor: Debbie Cason Rankin: Using Loose, Painterly Effects in Portraits

American Artist — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:55:00 GMT

Debbie Cason Rankin explains how drips, puddles, and runs can capture a subject’s emotional state.

by James A. Metcalfe

Life Is Good
2004, watercolor, 14 x 20.
All artwork this article
collection the artist.

“Hopefully this painting leaves
the viewer with a happy
feeling,” the artist says.
“The response of most people
when they view this painting
is usually a happy one.
It’s not as drippy as the
others but the emotional
response is strong.”

Blue hair and orange skin may not be the traditional elements one thinks of when considering a portrait, nor are heavy drips and runs. But, unequivocally, they define Debbie Cason Rankin’s style. “I’ve been painting most of my life,” she says, “but I only became serious about it six or seven years ago when I began painting rather unconventional portraits as competition pieces. Although I have painted numerous floral still lifes and landscapes, painting portraits now comes so much more naturally to me.”

It took Rankin many years to let loose with the brush and feel comfortable painting freely. She is pleased, however, with how her style—which she characterizes as “very loose, very drippy, with a distinct painterly look”—has evolved. Standing while painting, which she seldom did previously, and holding the brush at its very tip rather than at its bristles made a big difference in helping her loosen up. In the current series shown here, Rankin uses painterly effects to convey a subject’s emotional state—to her, the most important aspect of portrait work.

Preparing the Reference Photo
Rankin always works from a single photo, which she takes with a digital camera, and she prefers that the subject be photographed in direct sunlight. “This usually provides better darks and lights,” she maintains, “and I much prefer a ‘squinting’ face that looks somewhat stressed to someone just sitting there smiling. The more character apparent in the face, the more challenged I feel and the easier it is to paint.”

After uploading the files from her camera onto her computer, Rankin uses software programs such as Print Shop or Picture It to alter and process the photo to obtain a black-and-white image. She can then study the values and assess the various ways that shadows and colors might work for the most dramatic effect. Her next step is to draw the composition onto her watercolor paper with a graphite pencil. For this, she usually turns the reference photo upside down. “It’s amazing how much better the drawing is when you draw what you actually see rather than what you think you see,” she adds.

Cigarette Man
2004, watercolor,
14 x 20.

“I particularly like the texture
of the hair in this piece,”
Rankin says. “Although this
piece has less emotion, it
has more character. The
cigarette makes the statement
that he plans to do whatever
he wants no matter what anyone thinks.”

Painting Process
Using 300-lb cold-pressed Kilimanjaro paper or 200-lb cold-pressed Waterford paper that she sometimes prepares with a coat of gesso, Rankin begins splashing on her first layer of paint. “Generally,” she explains, “I water down my paints considerably and literally throw them at the painting, letting scores of drips remain splashed across the work.” Once the first layer is completely dry, she begins to puddle layer after layer. “I tend to place puddles strategically, say, near the eyes, and I don’t mess with them. I repeat this process until I have it the way I like it. The key here is to leave it alone and not to fiddle with it. Otherwise, I will undo all the loose work I have just created. Each layer must dry or I run the risk of the ever-dreaded blooms. In some cases the part I smudge or wipe off actually finishes the painting.”

In What Now, Rankin began by applying a base layer of paint—in this case orange and blue, and then started layering the puddles. “I let the paint puddle around the eye and nose while the paint was still wet so the colors ran together, a crucial step because the shadow area needed to be continuous,” the artist explains. “In the close-up, one can see how the colors run together where the glasses meet the nose. I began the blue shadow in the hair and then brought it onto the sunglasses, across the eye, down the nose, through the mouth, and under the chin. If I hadn’t approached it this way, it would have looked far too choppy.

“I sustained a sloppy look when painting the puddles and runs even though I painted them in a very deliberate fashion,” she continues. “The light area on the face where the sun is hitting is actually the white of the paper. As for the emotion in this piece, it shows someone who is looking down and wondering what is happening. The subject is clearly annoyed and it shows.”

Working Toward a Personal Style
Rankin has come to realize that much of what she does in creating her vibrant portraits is often contrary to traditional practice. Besides her unusual use of color, she often positions a subject’s face in the center of the page or off to the opposite side and has the subject looking straight at the viewer. Also somewhat unconventional is the fact that Rankin seldom, if ever, uses a hair dryer in her work. “A hair dryer,” she affirms, “will dry the paint too evenly, which is exactly what I want to avoid. When I place my puddles of paint, I sometimes let them dry about two-thirds, then take a paper towel and dab the paint off so that the center of the puddle is lighter and all the edges of the puddle keep hard edges. You can’t achieve this effect when using a hair dryer.”

Reference photo for
Worried, Troubled, and Tired.

Using Painterly Effects to the Best Advantage
In terms of light, Rankin is quick to declare that high-contrast light is absolutely critical for her work. “I need strong contrast to make my paintings work,” she declares. “I place the lightest light against the darkest dark to create high contrast. For example, in keeping with my usual style, I painted That’s Really Interesting with heavy drips and runs. However, one of my goals in this piece was to achieve a lot of light and dark on the face.” For the area around the sunglasses she worked wet-in-wet to create the shadow of the sunglasses. “I applied a puddle just under the shadow to connect it to the mouth area,” she explains. “This, in turn, gives a continuous line for the eye to follow. I painted the shadow under the chin with one puddle and then left it alone. I added a lot of splatters in burnt sienna to increase interest and provide more texture to the piece. For the area around the hair I worked wet-in-wet so that the hair would blend into the background; otherwise, it would appear to look like it was cut and pasted onto the top. The emotion in this piece is one of hope, as the subject looks off in the distance.

Worried, Troubled, and Tired
2005, watercolor,
14 x 20.

“The emotion in Deadpan Man is one of no emotion—simply deadpan,” the artist continues. “I particularly like the brushwork in this piece, which has contrast on the face, and the aqua hair adds interest. I also painted this piece with a straight-on look, often a no-no in portrait work, but I think it works well here. The white of the paper serves as the color for the cheeks and forehead. The shadow comes through the eyes, down to the nose, across the mouth, and under the chin, which establishes a route for the viewer’s eye to follow. The eyes here are a bit more intense and carefully painted than in my other paintings. The puddles around the eyes and forehead create numerous hard edges, and on one of the eyes, I particularly like where the skin color runs into the blue color of the eye.”

Rankin’s effective use of puddles, splatters, drips, and runs has become the hallmark of her portrait work. Working loosely has helped her tap into the emotional content she wants to convey, but only because she directs the painterly effects toward the desired results. As she puts it, “The emotional connection of a painting is just as important as the actual painting, and even though the subject’s hair may be blue, I want the viewer to know what that person is feeling.”



Reference photo for What Now.	What Now 2006, watercolor, 14 x 20.	Earl’s Content 2006, watercolor, 14 x 20.	That’s Really Interesting 2003, watercolor, 14 x 20.

Deadpan Man
2006, watercolor,
14 x 20.

About the Artist
Debbie Cason Rankin is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society; the Florida Watercolor Society, for which she serves on the board of directors; and the Miniature Art Society of Florida. She has participated in numerous group shows, including the 2006 exhibition of the National Watercolor Society, in which she won the Arches Paper Merchandise Award, and the All Florida Fine Art Exhibition. Her work will be featured in the National Watercolor Society traveling exhibition. She lives in Tampa and Cashiers, North Carolina.

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