Just thoughts

Two friends were once observing a beautiful watercolor painting at the art gallery. "Look," one said to the other. "It only took a few minutes for the artist to create this piece, so why does it cost so much?" "You are right," replied the second friend. "Only a few minutes... but the other thing is also true, that it took him his whole life to create this piece. The more effortless it looks, the more hard work is behind it."

That's not an apologue, but a true story from life:) Just was thinking about what I appreciate most in watercolor paintings. Personally, the subject doesn't really matter. What truly earns my respect is effortlessness. How would one see that in a painting? I believe the key is constantly training your eye. And the best way to accomplish that is by observing the work of masters, analyzing and comparing art pieces and styles. Not only does it develop your vision (and you'll be amazed how much it can evolve!), it also aids your mind in creating internal representation of your own future work.

I do this a lot and my personal favorite masters are:

•  Liu Yi. Incredible, fantastic, out of this world technique!
•  John Yardley. Love his atmospheric watercolors, full of light and life. I especially adore his ability to simplify complex scenes into shapes of color.

Feel free to continue this list and share your favorite watercolorists in the comment section.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!