Red
Wednesday, 14 February 2018 / Published in Colors, Watercolor

Red is for a martyred saint, but who was St. Valentine?

How does a martyred saint become the symbol of love in modern day? St. Valentine was a priest in the fourth century who was beheaded in 269 A.D. as punishment for marrying young couples, contrary to Roman law under Emperor Claudius II. He is interred in a church in Terni, Italy. The Christian Church’s liturgical
Example of a watercolor using expressiveness: "And On The Third Day", Sallie Bowen Studios
Friday, 09 February 2018 / Published in Technique, Watercolor

Expressiveness: Watercolor does it best!

Why is watercolor so suited to expressiveness? Expressiveness is the quality that gives watercolor its mood. Other adjectives used to describe this aspect are “juiciness”, “wet in wet”, or “uncontrolled.” Water is the vehicle that spreads the paint on the surface in a watercolor; consequently the quality of expressiveness is inherent. Certainly not every watercolor has this quality,
Watercolor Permanency: Paint and Paper: What do I use?
Wednesday, 31 January 2018 / Published in Materials, Permanency, Watercolor

Watercolor Permanency: Paint and Paper: What do I use?

For the Art Buyer: For the art buyer or the beginner watercolorist interested in watercolor paper’s permanency, I have used d’Arches hand-made (in France) 100% cotton watercolor paper for many years.  D’Arches brand paper is made in the traditional way as when the company began in 1493. Other handmade brands include Fabriano, Whatman, and Stonehenge.For quality paper, the
Sallie Bowen Studios Snoqualmie, painted on d'Arches paper.
Thursday, 25 January 2018 / Published in Buying Art, History, Materials, Watercolor

Buying an Original Watercolor

Buying a Watercolor:What to Ask the Artist or Gallery about Permanency Permanency of Watercolor: So, buying a watercolor? Is this a wise choice? Is watercolor a permanent medium? How should the painting be protected? What questions should I ask the artist or the gallery? History of Watercolor: Albrecht Durer’s The Hare, created in 1502 is still on exhibit
cherubs flooring in a warm, undefined space
Saturday, 20 January 2018 / Published in Buying Art

Giclee? What is it? Questions you should ask

Prints, Reproductions and Originals, and now, Giclee? Giclee is another word to add to the confusion for new art buyers. In my previous blog, I defined the terms: prints, reproductions and originals. Giclee is a fairly new word, invented in 1991 by Jack Duganne. In French, it refers to the ink spray coming from an inkjet printer’s
Black and white photo of Ben Steele of Billings
Friday, 19 January 2018 / Published in Watercolor

Watercolor and its Expressiveness

Primarily, I paint in watercolor. I have worked in oils and acrylics, but the spontaneity of a watercolor and its expressiveness cannot be matched in other media that I have tried. My First Experience With Watercolor My introduction to watercolor was through classes at the UM-Billings (then called Eastern Montana College) in the early 70’s
limited edition print
Monday, 15 January 2018 / Published in Buying Art

Original, Print, or Reproduction?

What is an original? What is the difference between a print and reproduction? I hope to clarify the terms for many that see no distinction between print and reproduction. Why Does It Matter? Why does this matter? If a buyer is a newbie in the purchasing of art, the terms reproduction and print are often bandied about