Q&A on the Decline of watercolor

Hi Barbara.

Please tell me if the sales of watercolor paintings is on a decline. I noticed that there was not one single watercolor article in a recent issue of International Artist. They were mostly oils sprinkled with pastel articles. Also, the huge help book sales consisted of four time more watercolor books than any other book. Please tell me what you know is happening in your area.

I have never thought of watercolor as separate from other media so when I look at a magazine or exhibit I often forget what something may have been. I just notice the image – color, form, info, intent. I do know that in solo museum shows of major artists there are often some works on paper and museums often devote entire shows to works on paper. The American Watercolor Society probably has more acrylic and mixed media pieces than pure watercolor in its shows as does the National Watercolor Society.

I know that there are tons of watercolor books and I think it is because watercolorists need to learn a variety of techniques. These books can be very helpful as watercolor technique can be illusive, but the media is not the message and too many watercolorists think it is and don’t go on to say something. I think many watercolorists don’t spend enough time studying and using art history as their influence and so watercolor can become a bit of a stepchild. Some watercolorists are less educated in the broader field of art (many came to watercolor because they fell in love with the look of the technique and failed to develop a broad enough background).

Perhaps one problem of acceptability is that although there are a lot of wonderful watercolorists there is also a lot of pedestrian watercolor out there that gets lumped together in the minds at least of some gallery directors and patrons. So many plein air painters are more like illustrators and rather that staying current with what museums, galleries, and what the public is looking at, they are stuck in the barn painting and rendering of the pre-photography days, but unfortunately without the masterful abstract design qualities of painters like Andrew Wyeth who like Turner used watercolor as a major not a minor medium.

On a more personal note, I have always felt that people are drawn to my work because they love watercolor and my love of it shows in my paintings. In the states there are probably many more watercolor societies than other groups, but in the end, people usually buy what appeals to them . I do think that sales of art in general is down, many traditional galleries have closed and we have more choices of what to put on our walls than just 2 dimensional work.

Barbara Nechis

Pre-Order Special Begins on Barbara Nechis’s “Watercolor from Within”

In Watercolor from Within, Barbara Nechis works outward from a single spot of permanent magenta using memory, emotion, and the flowing paint on her paper to guide an inspired floral design. You’ll learn to make principled design decisions confidently and quickly as you develop a loose, direct painting into an intricate, layered composition. Barbara paints intuitively, responding to to what happens on the paper. Her composition reflects her feelings about her subject instead of literally representing the flowers.

Barbara emphasizes balance between repetition and variety. She corrals transparent color with opaque pigments and contrasts hard-edged elements with wet-into-wet petals. She avoids mixing on her palette but encourages blending by double-loading wide, square brushes and tilting her paper to make pigment flow.

Take advantage of the Pre-Order special and get the chance to ask Barbara a question!
1. After an on-line Pre-Order is placed, you will receive a questionnaire form via email.

2. You can fill it out with your question for Barbara and send it back.

3. The artist will then select questions from the group to answer.

4. Over the next several weeks, answers will be publicly available on the newly revamped ccpvideos blog and made available to everyone!