what makes a watercolor interesting

What is it that makes an image take hold of you? and what is it that keeps some images from grabbing one. A picture can tell us a lot and it is something that interests us, it wants to tell us something. It can be very simple or an image that has a lot of technical craftsmanship behind it. The taste can of course be divided, about what appeals to us. Have you figured out what appeals to you? and why?

A personal expression touches more than an impersonal, the images that are based on oneself are always the best. Even in art, I should be myself. In art, it is a challenge to be yourself. An examination of itself, what do I want now and how should I do it ?, why do I want to paint just like this? Should I let the brain control or just let it follow? What exactly do I want to achieve?

A purpose is not always important, for me it usually comes when the painting is finished. The desire, the pleasure and the joy of painting is the biggest reason to paint, the highest purpose. But it usually happens that I end up in a listless state, the painting confuses and the inspiration wears off and I play around with the color without really knowing what I am doing. In the game I can then find something or I take the help of a form or something to find back. There are many tricks in the watercolor technique to pick up a painting again and become interesting.

It must feel interesting and exciting and then I think the viewer feels the same.

In watercolor, I am fascinated by contrasts, light and darkness. Usually in a limited color scale and with different denominations of it, so it in a transparent way overlaps each other. It is very rare that I have a ready-made motive to start from and if I had it, it will be more than a starting point and the end result will be something completely different. In watercolor it is not always possible to control, it is important to like chance and invite it into the painting and allow yourself to be in the process.

We experience motives differently and are fascinated by different things. For example, three different painters may have the same (landscape) motif but concentrate on different things.

Painter 1 can be fascinated by an infinite number of different denomination spectra (green tones) and exaggerate a color scale.
Painter 2 can be fascinated by geometric shapes and make overlaps that form lines and different fields.
Painter 3 can be fascinated by the infinite space and capture light and darkness and depth.
Painter 4 can be really fascinated by, so that it almost becomes an image from a coloring book or photograph.

For me, it is probably a combination of expression, denomination spectra of watercolor colors, layer upon layer of transparent colors, a lot of water flow where chance is invited and work on the contrasts to highlight light and darkness. And EVERYTHING happens in a certain part conscious PLAY!

More to explore

Paint for heath and soul

Vedic art, what is it?

Self-leadership

The watercolor process and my favorite Winsor & Newton

What is creativity? “everyone can paint”

What acrylic paint should you buy? The quality of the colors