Watercolor Artist

editor’s note

Norwegian Expressionist painter Edvard Munch (1863–1944) was out walking one evening at sunset when suddenly the clouds turned “a blood red” and the artist sensed what he later described as “an infinite scream passing through nature.” The event—which some researchers have suggested could have been the result of volcanic activity—inspired the artist to create one of the most iconic images of all time. The artists featured in this issue engage a range of subject matter. It’s the world of birds, for example, that most captivates Barry Van Dusen (page 34). Lana Privitera (page 46) is primarily interested in still life, and at present, she’s particularly excited by festive arrangements of cups and saucers. Ted Nuttall (page 56), paints people and enjoys the challenge of capturing just the right expression—the one that…

david antonides

David Antonides (davidantonides.com) creates dynamic urban landscapes that capture the movement and pace of city life and defy the notion of watercolor as a “fragile” medium. The artist takes pleasure in challenging the conventional boundaries of watercolor through both the scale and drama of his work as well as his use of steel brushes and other tools that disturb the paper. Antonides’ approach to watercolor creates a weight and drama not normally associated with the medium. “Watercolor for me is a medium that intermediates the tangible with emotion and spirit,“ he says. “It flows between my intention and its own laws of nature and serendipity—it’s a collaboration of sorts. I explore the contrast between the subtlety of complex color transitions and the strength of dense, robust marks. Watercolor can make a…

new + notable

STUDIO STAPLES Museum Art Cards Besides the overwhelming amount of visual information that can stand in the way of a pleasant museum visit, there’s another matter: meaning. What do you truly think when looking at a particular artwork? Museum Art Cards (BIS Publishers), is an activity card game that puts a fresh perspective on your museum visits and encourages you to engage with art in new ways. Follow the activities from A-Z or choose a specific work of art to consider, then delve into the thought-provoking questions and creative activities. Arts writer Lise Lotte ten Voorde of Fotomuseum Antwerp and art historian Naomi Boas designed the cards for art lovers of all ages and levels of experience. ON THE SHELVES Color Harmony for Artists [$24.99] Explore and create expressive palettes and paintings with watercolor artist…

baltimore museum of art will buy works by women only in 2020

Pay a visit to any of the top art museums across the country and you’ll notice a striking similarity across the board: Most of the works you see were produced by men. A 2019 study by Artnet and the podcast In Other Words found that, between 2008 and 2018, only 11 percent of all acquisitions and 14 percent of exhibitions at 26 prominent American art museums featured female artists. This year, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) is taking bold steps to correct that imbalance by committing to buying only works created by women for its permanent collection. “This is how you raise awareness and shift the identity of an institution,” museum director Christopher Bedford told The Baltimore Sun. “To rectify centuries of imbalance, you have to do something radical.” The move…

a most benevolent invasion

In the early 19th century, Great Britain produced able watercolor painters by the dozens. They were so plentiful that London couldn’t contain their number, and many traveled across the English Channel. In a most benevolent invasion, they descended on Paris and influenced the course of French art. One of the finest of the English expatriates was Thomas Shotter Boys (1803–1874). But for extended periods of travel, he seems to have lived primarily in Paris between 1824 and 1837. Boys’ first medium—and the one for which he would become best known—was printmaking. By the age of 14, the Londoner was apprenticed to an engraver. At the age of 20, he moved to Paris, where there was a demand for engravers. He befriended and became a protégé of Richard Parkes Bonington, who persuaded…

black in back

In my travels to museums around the world, I’ve always been impressed by the Dutch and Flemish still life paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries. The artists of these works used detail and handled light to great effect to tell viewers the story of the objects depicted, whether the narrative is about the accumulation of great wealth, the seashells brought back by Dutch sea captains who’d sailed to Samoa or just items the artist had eaten for breakfast. The paintings that have impressed me most are those with very dark backgrounds. They give the objects in the composition a heightened sense of drama and focus. Artist Willem Kalf (Dutch, 1619–93) used dark backgrounds to great effect. I decided to see whether I could replicate in watercolor the sense of silver and…