Watercolour painting has long been revered for its ethereal, luminous qualities – the way pure pigments bloom and bleed across the page, capturing the essence of light and atmosphere with a spontaneity and fluidity that can seem almost mystical. In our 15 years installing… Yet in the hands of modern artists, this deceptively simple medium is being pushed to thrilling new frontiers, moving beyond the traditional watercolour landscapes and still lifes to embrace bolder, more experimental approaches.
Mastering Watercolour Techniques
At the heart of this watercolour revolution are painters who have truly mastered the medium’s unique properties. They understand how to harness the medium’s fluid nature, using techniques like wet-on-wet and glazing to coax forth breathtaking effects. With a wet-on-wet approach, pigments are applied to damp paper, creating lush, bleeding edges and organic movements. Masterful glazing – building up translucent layers of colour – lends an ethereal, luminous quality, as each subsequent wash interacts with and transforms the ones beneath.
These technical skills form a foundation, but today’s watercolour artists are taking them to astonishing new levels. By combining traditional methods with unexpected materials and unconventional applications, they are redefining the boundaries of what watercolour can achieve.
Pushing Boundaries with Watercolour
One such visionary is Iris Compiet, whose fantastical, otherworldly paintings have captivated audiences worldwide. Compiet’s work is a masterclass in balancing technical precision with expressive freedom. Her meticulously rendered watercolour washes capture the delicate textures of feathers, scales, and otherworldly skin, while her bold, gestural brushwork imbues her creatures with a sense of uncanny vitality.
“I want my paintings to feel as if they are a glimpse into another realm,” Compiet explains. “The watercolours allow me to create this ethereal, dreamlike quality, where the boundaries between the real and the imagined become blurred.”
Compiet’s process often involves starting with a detailed underdrawing, establishing the composition and structural elements. Then, she lets the watercolours take on a life of their own, manipulating the paint with techniques like scraping, splattering, and pouring to evoke the capricious, untamed nature of her fantastical subjects.
“I’m always seeking that delicate balance between control and chaos,” she says. “Watercolour can be incredibly unpredictable, and I find that exciting. I want to harness that energy, that element of the unexpected, to bring my visions to life.”
Luminosity and Atmosphere
Compiet’s work is not alone in its pursuit of watercolour’s luminous potential. Artists like Georgia O’Keeffe and Anish Kapoor have also explored the medium’s ability to capture light and atmosphere, using it to evoke ethereal, otherworldly moods.
O’Keeffe, known for her iconic flower paintings, was a master of utilizing watercolour’s transparency to create a sense of glowing luminosity. By applying layers of soft, hazy washes, she could imbue her subjects with an almost otherworldly incandescence, as if the flowers were lit from within.
Similarly, Kapoor’s watercolour landscapes and abstractions harness the medium’s fluid, amorphous qualities to evoke the mysteries of the natural world. Bold, gestural applications of pigment coalesce into atmospheric, dreamlike visions, where form and formlessness, light and shadow, constantly shift and intermingle.
Exploring Mixed Media Approaches
While some artists revel in watercolour’s fluid spontaneity, others are experimenting with ways to combine it with other media, resulting in innovative and unexpected works.
The artist Karina Bania, for example, layers watercolour, gouache, and acrylics to create richly textured, multi-dimensional pieces. By alternating fluid washes with more opaque, gestural applications, Bania builds up complex, layered compositions that balance delicacy and power, ethereal luminescence and visceral materiality.
“I’m fascinated by the way different media can interact and inform one another,” Bania explains. “Watercolour brings a sense of atmosphere and luminosity, while the gouache and acrylics allow me to add more structural elements and bold, expressive brushwork. It’s about finding that harmonious interplay between the different materials.”
Cultivating Creativity and Inspiration
Of course, mastering the technical aspects of watercolour is only half the battle. The true magic of this medium lies in its ability to capture the ephemeral, the elusive, the deeply personal. And for many modern artists, the key to unlocking watercolour’s full expressive potential lies in tapping into their own well of creative inspiration.
Drawing from Nature
For some, that inspiration comes directly from the natural world. Artists like Helen Frankenthaler and Emily Carr have long drawn upon the stunning landscapes and atmospheric phenomena around them, using watercolour’s fluid properties to evoke the transformative power of light, weather, and the ever-shifting rhythms of the natural environment.
“When I’m out in nature, I’m constantly in awe of the way the light plays across the land, the way the weather can shift a scene in an instant,” says Frankenthaler. “Watercolour allows me to capture those fleeting, ephemeral moments – the dance of sunlight and shadow, the mystical quality of mist or rain.”
Tapping into the Subconscious
Others find inspiration in the realm of the subconscious, using watercolour as a tool for self-expression and emotional exploration. The Japanese artist Yuko Nagayama, for example, creates intuitive, improvisational paintings that seem to channel the primal energies of the natural world, or the deeper currents of the human psyche.
“When I paint, I try to let go of conscious control and tap into something more instinctual, more visceral,” Nagayama explains. “The watercolours become a conduit for expressing emotions and impulses that are difficult to articulate in words.”
Nagayama’s process often involves starting with a loose, gestural application of pigment, then responding intuitively to the unfolding shapes and textures. The result is a visually striking and psychologically resonant body of work that seems to pulse with an inner life force.
Storytelling and Symbolism
For others still, watercolour becomes a vehicle for storytelling and symbolic expression. Artists like Kiki Smith and Shaun Tan have used the medium to craft richly imaginative, allegorical narratives that speak to the human experience in profound and poetic ways.
Smith’s delicate watercolour illustrations, for example, often feature fantastical, allegorical figures that explore themes of identity, nature, and the human condition. Tan, meanwhile, has used the medium to construct breathtakingly imaginative worlds, where the boundaries between reality and dream, wonder and terror, are perpetually blurred.
“Watercolour has this incredible capacity to evoke mood, to convey emotion and atmosphere,” Tan observes. “It allows me to craft these liminal spaces, where the rational and the irrational can coexist, where the familiar and the unknown can intermingle. It’s a medium that is perfectly suited to the kind of speculative fiction I’m drawn to.”
Watercolour Tutorials and Techniques
Of course, for all the artistic innovation and creative expression that watercolour enables, it is also a medium that requires a deep understanding of its fundamental principles and techniques. Whether you’re a seasoned watercolour artist or just starting to explore the medium, mastering the basics is key to unlocking its full potential.
Washes and Glazing
At the heart of watercolour painting are the washes – fluid applications of pigment that can range from delicate, transparent veils to bold, saturated pools of colour. Developing a facility with wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry washes is essential for creating luminous, atmospheric effects.
Equally important is the technique of glazing – building up layers of translucent colour to achieve depth and complexity. By carefully controlling the opacity and saturation of each successive wash, artists can create a sense of three-dimensional form and shifting, ethereal light.
Pencil Drawing and Sketching
Many watercolour artists also incorporate pencil drawing and sketching into their process, using these materials to establish the initial composition, capture precise details, and define structural elements. Graphite can lend a beautiful, nuanced counterpoint to the fluidity of watercolour, allowing artists to blend realism and abstraction.
Experimenting with Materials
Beyond the fundamentals of washes and layering, modern watercolour artists are also constantly experimenting with new materials and unconventional application techniques. From sponging and splattering to pouring and scraping, these unorthodox approaches can yield unexpected, visually striking results.
Likewise, incorporating mixed media elements – such as collage, pastel, or acrylic – can open up exciting new possibilities for watercolour, allowing artists to push the boundaries of the medium and unlock fresh avenues of creative expression.
Luminous and Expressive Watercolour Art
Ultimately, what sets apart the most compelling works in contemporary watercolour is their ability to transcend the merely technical, to become vessels for genuine emotional resonance and conceptual depth. Whether capturing the ephemeral beauty of the natural world or delving into the mysteries of the human experience, these artists harness watercolour’s unique properties to craft paintings that are not just visually stunning, but profoundly meaningful.
As you explore the world of modern watercolour, allow yourself to be inspired by the myriad ways in which artists are redefining the medium’s possibilities. Experiment, take risks, and most importantly, trust the inherent magic of watercolour to guide you on your own creative journey. For in the end, the true power of this medium lies not in mastering any single technique, but in allowing yourself to be surprised, to be captivated by the unexpected and the unknowable.
So pick up your brushes, dive into the vibrant pools of pigment, and let the watercolours work their luminous alchemy. The rewards, both technical and deeply personal, are sure to be transformative.
Tip: Experiment with different media to discover your unique style