Why watercolor is my Favorite Medium

During my career in wildlife art,  I have worked in many different media. But my overwhelming favorite is, and has always been; Watercolor.

Why watercolor? Not because it’s easy. In fact, it is regard as one the most difficult of all painting media to master.

Here’s why: I sincerely enjoy everything about watercolor; all the tools; brushes, pigments, and even the paper.

My preference is for heavy weight paper (300 pounds+) with a rough texture, preferably handmade. The rough texture, although making it more difficult to achieve the fine detail I require, allows me to create an image with increased in depth and richness.

The thickness of the paper allows me to lift pigment off the paper, exposing the white, and giving me precise control of the image. The downside of the heavyweight paper is that it requires a lot more paint.

I enjoy mixing the paints; both on my palate creating new colors and on the paper by allowing two pigments to run into each other. Using brilliant colors becomes a thrilling experience for me.

Watercolor allows me to create soft edges, and gives me the ability to move color around painting. It allows me draw; everything from bold washes to very tiny lines and any combination thereof.

My life is good, especially when I’m working in my favor medium: Watercolor.