A Gardener in a Cottage Garden by Helen Allingham,
watercolor, 28 x 37.5cm (11 x 14 3/4in)
A Cottage Garden
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Woods in Winter, Watercolor
Konstantin Kryzhitsky was one of the founders of the Society of Russian Watercolorists in 1880.
Konstantin Kryzhitsky (1858-1911) Gathering Branches in Winter, signed in Cyrillic and dated 'K. Kryzhitsky 1903.'
(watercolor and gouache on paper 13¾ x 18½ in. (34.9 x 47 cm.)
Source: gurneyjourney.blogspot.com
Is Opera Rose Fugitive?
Is the pigment called opera rose lightfast or fugitive? I had always heard it was extremely fugitive, but experts don't agree.
Opera rose is a quinacridone pigment defined as PR122. According to the authoritative website Handprint, it's very reliable. In fact Handprint rates it as a "Top 40" pigment. They say: "after 800+ hours of sunlight exposure, the samples show no fading or discoloration."
Here's how they explain it:
"Quinacridone magenta PR122 is a lightfast, semitransparent, staining, dark valued, intense violet red pigment, offered by more than 20 pigment manufacturers worldwide. The ASTM (in technical report D5067-99) rates the lightfastness of PR122 in watercolors as "fair" (III, "may be satisfactory when used full strength or with extra protection from exposure to light"), but other manufacturer and independent tests rate it higher. My 2004 lightfastness tests of the nine paint brands listed above, which show color variations that suggest several different pigment particle sizes or pigment suppliers, revealed very little or no color degradation, after 800+ hours of direct sunlight exposure, in both heavy and diluted applications. This puts the pigment solidly in the "excellent" (I) category (BWS 7+)."
"For context, compare these samples to naphthol red (PR170), a pigment with a well established "very good (II)" rating, or with quinacridone rose (PV19), which is considered to have "excellent (I)" lightfastness. This is such a glaring discrepancy that the ASTM test must be flawed or unrepresentative in some way. Because Michael Wilcox relies on the ASTM documents for his pigment ratings, he has been critical of this pigment without any corroborating evidence of its fallability. I suggest you do your own lightfastness test on PR122 paints until a consensus emerges, but at present I see absolutely no reason to avoid this splendid pigment."
I haven't tried it yet in a controlled fade test, but I've used the color in a painting. You can watch the whole 12 minute YouTube video here.
Source: gurneyjourney.blogspot.com
To Convey Drama, Use Contrasts
In this new YouTube video, I paint a dramatic townscape in watercolor.
Source: gurneyjourney.blogspot.com
Zorn and the Rain Storm
American painter Edward Simmons (1852-1931) was an eyewitness to how Anders Zorn painted in watercolor:
"He had a great success at the Grosvenor Gallery with a picture of boats, sails, masts, and the seashore sand, with a fat fish-wife walking toward one. (In those days he thought the only beautiful women
were fat ones.) He laid this on a box hedge in the garden when a thunderstorm came up. We all rushed out and it seemed to me ruined."
Anders Zorn, Fish Market in St. Ives, detail
From Seven to Seventy, a memoir by Edward Simmons (1852-1931)
"Zorn was one of those artists who are always showing much originality in the use of their materials and combining this with a sense of humor, which often produces fine results. I went into his back yard one day, and he had a six-foot water color leaning against the house, and was throwing pails of water on it—“bringing it together.”
Anders Zorn, Fish Market in St. Ives, watercolor and gouache, 100 x 76cm, 1888
were fat ones.) He laid this on a box hedge in the garden when a thunderstorm came up. We all rushed out and it seemed to me ruined."
"'Now I can make a fine picture,' he said. He painted out the smudges from the sails and fixed the dirty sky, but in the foreground, in the sands, were large spots of raindrops. These he turned into footprints, and their naturalness has been commented upon more than once."
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Books
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Cass Gilbert, Architect and Painter
American architect Cass Gilbert (1854-1934) designed the Minnesota State Capitol and the Woolworth building.
An early proponent of skyscrapers, he was president of the American Institute of Architects during the optimistic years of 1908-9.
He was also a devoted plein-air watercolorist, deriving inspiration from old-world cathedrals and castles.
Whenever he traveled he brought a set of watercolors with him, and allowed time to capture scenes that inspired him.
His architectural studies demonstrate careful observation and a subtle sense of color.
Cass Gilbert, Arch of Titus, 1933
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Turner's Small Watercolor Kits
J.M.W. Turner's super-portable watercolor set consisted of a small set of cake colors in a leather pocket pouch.
He also had slightly larger sets with flasks. This is his paintbox, found in his studio after his death in 1851
(Tate Archive 7315.6)To learn more about 19th century watercolor sets, check out the website whimsie.com or the Tate Archive
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Pleissner Paints a Painting Partner
"Painting of Winfield Scott Cline" by Ogden Pleissner, watercolor and gouache, 1930s.
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Painting a Blue Cup of Ice Water
Hang out with me and Jeanette at the diner as I paint this blue plastic cup of ice water. (Link to YouTube)
As we wait for our eggs and fried potatoes, we chat about how Jeanette used to watch her mother (who was an illustrator) paint in watercolor. For a spot of complementary color, I used an orange straw from Dunkin' Donuts.
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Three Artists Paint Cole's Studio
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Christopher L. Evans joins me and Jeanette to sketch Thomas Cole's old studio.
We talk about perspective and keeping brushes clean.
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Christopher Leith Evans websiteSource: gurneyjourney.blogspot.com
