Imagination

Imagination is the master of creative expression. Every painting begins in the mind of the artist...and with my watercolour in particular the painting has to be fully conceived right there. The painting begins on the canvas of my mind...where imagery is able to mix with passion and emotion...and that births the desire to paint...to bring what is now resonating on the inside into the visible tangible realm.

And this is especially required for watercolour. Firstly the medium demands flow in the execution...it cannot be paint, stop, stand back, think about any changes you might want to make, and then start painting again. That is to misunderstand the practicalities of the medium. The medium is alive while the paper is wet, the artist has to know beforehand exactly what they want to create and how they are going to do it, so the execution remains vibrant and fresh. As soon as the first wash is laid down, the mechanics are largely laid aside, as the vision of the work now engages passion and emotion.

And for good reason...else if we keep planning midflow we lose the essence of the medium. That may be the mindset with other mediums, but I need that holistic fluid approach...a seamless transition in the process that unifies the whole piece. The water flows on the paper, the whole painting has to be energised with motion and feel...a momentum that draws upon the soul of the artist to give themselves into the work...to inject that which cannot be planned into the piece...the spontaneous expression that takes the artist into the zone as it seals the expression on the paper.

And so I plan...I structure before I start to paint...I make room for connection with the piece...where expression on the paper is far more about execution than planning. I want to remain true to the original intent...true to the original vision resonant on the inside. I visualize the harmony of the elements...the composition, values, and colours...I see the process where the painting unfolds with structure to all the elements...and then the momentum that builds toward transition...where the structure that conveys realism makes way for the abstract...the spontaneous expression where I fully connect as the vision of the work is sealed.

So before you paint...dream...let your imagination flow with the image...let it capture the real desire of your soul for the subject. And as it does...it will bring together those elements that form the vision of the artwork...the atmosphere, the mood...showing you what colours, what values, what composition will best express that vision. And in the process it supplies all the creative desire to bring that image into the visible realm through your art.