purity of watercolours

For a genre of landscapes, watercolours is a major if not the only meduim of expression. Be it on locale or in studio, a landscape painter will definitely consider watercolours as a contender. And in that context he also knows the inherent 'modus operendi' of painting in watercolours!

Let us question this whole process and what it means to final outcome.

Normally, while choosing it over , say oils, we have decided that it will be..... transparent, washes, leaving white and black from the palette and white of the paper is to be shown through. Regardless of individual styles, and method of working we all consider these rules as given. So the choice of medium is limited by these conditions and also the final outcome. This also means the size of the work will be smaller and palette 'fresh'. This also points to the prior conditioning of artists mind towards what and how of a 'watercolour landscape'.

In this blog we have questioned many beliefs in landscapes after we have began the work... means while we work! Now the question is of beginning and how it influences the work. We talk of 'purity' of watercolour medium and the 'rules' we have enshrined over the years. It is to be noted that watercolorists of other genres are not so rigid. With changing times, society has changed and so are surroundings. But we still seek out freshness and transperancy and flows. Does it not limit our expression from the beginning?

When we decide that all these 'rules' are not the yardstick of purity but our passion and spontaneity with which the landcape, especially on locale, is painted, then horizons expand. We say we paint the scene 'realistically' but we know that we can never reproduce the thousands of greens in one tree let alone the whole jungle! We insist on leaving white of paper in faith that it can reproduce the whites in the scene! And keen observation will show the hundreds of shades and intensities of white which are so different from white of the paper. And the famous disdain towrds black! Then how do we reproduce the darkness and how to go beyond 'normal' limits of contrast? This 'prescribed' contrast also results in non usage of white. And the most important law of transparency!

I always ask, who decides ? The medium decides how I should paint or I as an artist decide how I 'use' the medium to express myself? Do I use watercolour or watercolours use my skills?

The whole lot of traditional ides of choice of watercolours and inherent question of 'purity' needs to be challenged if we are to move with the times. Freshness not in colour paltte but in our thoughts and expression!