Watercolor Artist

editor’s note

Flowers are one of the much anticipated delights of spring and early summer. Whether it’s a blooming fruit tree, a riot of tulips or a crop of trillium on a woodland trail, the sight of a beautiful flower never fails to supply a little burst of joy. It’s interesting that we never lose our appreciation for something beautiful. Even though flowers emerge year after year, and even when we know when and where to expect them, there’s something about their arrival that always feels somehow surprising—even miraculous. “What seems to me to be one of the most important things about our movement is that we have freed painting from the tyranny of subject matter. I am free to paint flowers and call them flowers, without having to weave…

peggy macnamara

Sometimes words just aren’t enough when you’re trying to convince a government to protect 2 million acres of natural terrain from the temptations of economic profit. That’s where Peggy Macnamara (peggymacnamara.com) comes in. The artist, who has been the artist-in-residence at the Field Museum of Natural History, in Chicago, for years, works with the Museum’s Action Center. She was recruited by Debby Moskovits, one of the founders of the museum’s conservation arm. Macnamara’s painting of an arapaima fish helped in the fight to create Yaguas National Park, in Peru. Macnamara says she didn’t always have her sights set on being an artist. She thought she didn’t have enough talent, choosing instead to go the path of art history. In her 20s, she had the revelation that it was more…

new + notable

/ STUDIO STAPLES / Viviva Colorsheets [$19] These handmade transparent watercolors come in a single set of 16 handmade colors, contained within convenient flipbooks, which close into a slim, easily transportable book. A sketcher set and a deluxe set are also available. VIVIVACOLORS.COM NomadColor Portable Watercolor Kits [$40] Available in sets of 18, 25, 33 and 42 colors, these watercolors slide out of their sleek stacks to create an instant palette. Just add water to the pats of pigment and use like regular watercolors. PRESTIGIFY.COM / ON THE SHELVES / DIY Watercolor Flowers [$23] DIY Watercolor Flowers by Marie Boudon is a beautiful introduction to flower painting. The book covers basic techniques, equipment, palettes and brushwork. It describes how…

help from history

Some of the world’s best-known early explorers were not only celebrated for their expeditions, but also for the incredible art made during their journeys. Watercolour World (watercolourworld.org ) is gathering these paintings and others from private and public collections to create a free online database of documentary watercolors painted before 1900.The project launched in January with the backing of Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, and includes more than 80,000 images. The historic depictions have allowed climate scientists to compare water erosion over the centuries in Britain, and the reconstruction of ancient Egyptian tombs.Thousands of contributions have come from The British Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the images are organized by region with an easy-to-use map and are also…

visual abundance: realism in watercolor

A new solo show of Laurin McCracken’s watercolors has opened at the University of Mississippi Museum (museum.olemiss.edu). “Laurin McCracken is one of the most distinguished and acclaimed American watercolorists of our time,” says Robert Saarnio, the museum director. “It’s an uncommon opportunity of considerable magnitude for our audiences to have access to work of this technical brilliance, in this medium.”McCracken began painting in watercolor at the age of 60, influenced by 16th- and 17th-century Dutch and Flemish still life painters. His work in architecture and photography allowed him to travel around the world, gathering creative inspiration.“Watercolor is a dance that involves the artist, the paint, the brush and the paper,” says McCracken. “The artist must lead in this dance and hope that the very active elements of this medium…

finding the just-right brush

Many beginning artists try to get by with inexpensive brushes from paint sets or those they have on hand from experimenting with other media. These brushes can be too hard or too soft and are often too small or incapable of holding enough water to achieve good results. Quality watercolor brushes can be expensive, but they’re well worth the investment.A few good watercolor brushes can last a lifetime—or close to it—if you take good care of them. This doesn’t mean that if you buy the most expensive watercolor brush that you’re guaranteed a masterpiece; the dollar amount won’t determine the right brush for what you need—or the outcome. It’s more important to know about the hair or synthetic fiber used to make it—whether it’s natural, synthetic or a sable/synthetic…