Why Watercolor?

Since I started painting, I have tried several mediums.  I started with acrylic and stayed with this for approximately twelve years.  During this twelve year period, I also tried oils and found I could not handle the solvents that went along with painting in oil.  Once introduced to Watercolor, I found a passion for a medium that I doubt I will ever lose. 

It is a constant learning process no matter how long one uses it.  Each medium has its appeal and its special qualities; but, Watercolor to me, cannot be matched in its luminosity, its translucency, its unpredictability, and its intriguing magical results.  It is the only medium I have found that does things on its own after it has been put on paper!

To me, Watercolor is a medium which you have to accept that you will never have ultimate control over.  However, once you accept this, the results it can produce can range from exacting delicate work such as botanical illustration to those as strong and bold as achieved with acrylic, pastel, and oil; but with the addition of those unpredictable textures and effects that Watercolor is renowned for.  It is often that unpredictability and the need to constantly learn to work with it, that has captured my heart and constantly excites me....the giving and the taking along with the excitement and the failures we learn from - something really special in all aspects of our lives.