For well over two centuries watercolor painting has been an important element within the development of British Art, but only recently has it been given the status that it deserves. In recent years it has become appreciated by a much wider audience resulting in higher saleroom prices, not only for eighteenth and nineteenth century masters but for modern masters.



Twenty years ago if you mentioned that you painted in watercolor immediately you would get the feeling that folks thought that you painted in some wishy washy insipid medium. After all why call it watercolor if it isn't pigment diluted with water? Watercolor has always been the poor relation to oil paint, or even more recently to acrylic. Watercolors have always been considered throughout art history as just drawings in color.

The story goes that William Turner was painting one evening by the mouth of the Thames. Turner was passionately capturing the sunset as it set over the water. His expressive style was emphasizing the strong colors that he used. A fellow out walking comes along and studies Turner and his rendition of the sunset in a puzzled way. The walker spent some time trying to match up Turners colors with the actual sunset. He eventually comments, I just don't see colors like those. To which Turner replied No, but don't you wish you could.

Turner and more recently Paul Cezanne, Picasso, Georgia O Keefe, Andrew Wyeth, and even more recently modern masters such as David Hockney, Rothko, Patrick Proctor and Howard Hodgkin have made watercolor more popular to the critics because of the non wishy washy way that they have produced watercolor paintings.

Watercolor has become accepted as a medium that can be pushed in many directions. It has long been considered a difficult medium, but it is these difficult qualities that can be used to creative effect. All watercolorists know about runbacks, and other naughty qualities. Using this knowledge we can stop them from becoming happy accidents and things that we can use when and how we want to use them.

Watercolor can be used in a loose expressionistic way or in a more controlled analytical way, depending on the artists personality. You are what you are and you will paint in the way that your personality dictates. It is important that if you are a watercolor newbie not to allow watercolor teachers to push you in a direction that suits their teaching style, but goes against your personality.

What does it matter which medium we paint in? - Oil, acrylic, watercolor or elephant dung. What is important is the idea. Once you come up with an idea that you feel passionate about you will find the correct medium to communicate your idea. The idea is much more important than the medium.

Watercolor is no different than any other painting medium. It is capable of being pushed in many expressive and creative directions, but in the end, like any other tool, its only as good as the person using it.