Marion Quick
Someone once said, “Depiction provides the widest platform for artistic expression.” As a representational painter, that is the philosophy I follow as I endeavor to express myself in the medium of watercolor.
Having grown up in the vastness of Far West Texas, my form of expression is influenced by the light and the sense of decompression that the volume of space there has. I consider watercolor to have that same quality. Transparent and fluid, the paint glows from the white of the paper it sits on and creates excitement for the eyes. The power of an image, that eye-to-brain interaction, which causes something seen to be abstract, beautiful, provocative, striking, memorable, haunting is the starting point for me as I choose subject matter for a painting. I search for subject matter that to me has a quality, and so a reason, to be depicted simply because of the visual value.
The subjects are most often architectural elements from the past, landscapes, and people. I work to depict these subjects with an alternate perspective, enhancing the light and color to intensify the visual impact. I start out with photographs of the subjects I’m interested in. After doing design changes and alterations to light, line and value via drawings and preliminary paintings, I work out the final drawing and begin the process of painting. My technique involves many washes and layers of their own power of direction, often looking much different than what I had anticipated. For me that is part of the mystery and intrigue of watercolor.
