Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 3 No 12 December 2014

My method of painting with watercolors is to layer the colors on. This meant
that each previous layer has to dry completely or the next wet layer would turn
the previous layer to mud. So, now I usually paint about 3-4 hours at a time
and wait a day or two before the next layer goes on. I have as many as forty
layers of colors to get to the blackest blacks. This gives large areas a much
more dynamic look than just one quick dark layer. This method gives cloud
reflections a great look in the reflections.
Before I took up painting I did some computer art. This was long before PCs or
color printers were around. The only output was with a eight pen plotter. The
only way to get multiple shades of a color was to tell the computer to draw multiple
time in the same area. The computer had a pen stylus that I would trace
over an area and tell it what color to fill in. When I started using watercolors I
just kept thinking the same way and would first lay down a color that is lighter
than weak tea and keep adding darker and darker shades where I wanted it.
The blackest areas have many layers and multiple color put in them.
I had fun with a recent painting and did a stop motion video of it. You can see it
at https://www.youtube.com/watchv=K-V1i9nUqBA And yes, I really did paint
it in that order. It took 18 months altogether and is comprised of 800 pictures.
I hope you start seeing the way I see now.
http://www.rlewisstudio.com/
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