Lorraine Watry from the USA shared her favorite watercolor palette and techniques:

Here’s a Q&A with Lorraine:

Why do you make art?
First, I make art for myself. I need to express my view of the world with my artwork. I paint a variety of subjects and love the challenge of making them look realistic. Second, I make art for others. I want to show my viewers those moments in time that I find fascinating.

How long have you been painting?
I’ve worked with watercolor for 29 years.

Did you have formal art training?
Yes, I earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder. I also took watercolor classes with several local artists and workshops with John Salminen, Linda Baker, Ted Nuttal, Soon Warren, and Birgit O’Connor.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist?
I am a full time working artist and watercolor instructor.

What inspires you?
I look at national and international exhibitions, Instagram and art magazines. I like to see what others are doing, even though I have my own style. I am not looking to emulate others, but I find inspiration in peers’ colors, compositions, and techniques.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?
Jazz and pop.

Have you had a mentor?
A past watercolor instructor was instrumental in encouraging me to display my artwork and enter exhibitions.

Do you paint every day?
No, unfortunately, I do not paint every day. I will try and paint one or two times a week, but I am often getting set up for teaching classes or doing the day-to-day parts of running a business, like bookkeeping, framing, and advertising. I am also on the board of the NWS which often involves putting my brush down to perform the duties of my position.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at the same time?
Sometimes I have several paintings going because of classes I am teaching, plus I might be working on my own painting.

Do you create a concept piece first?
Yes, I call them color studies. I don’t necessarily do an involved or complete color study for every painting anymore, but I used to. The concept piece/color study really helps solve some of the problems before I begin the actual painting. If I have painted a subject before, I may only do a portion of the painting now in order to try a particular technique or color.

Do you prefer painting in studio or plein air?
I prefer the studio because I paint very detailed subject and work from my photographs to create realistic, representational scenes. I do like to paint plein air, but I don’t go out very often.

How many core colors do you use?
The colors I use vary with each painting, but if I had to choose colors that I tend to use a lot, I would say there are about ten.

Tubes, pans, or sticks?
Always tubes. I fill my wells with paint from tubes and then rewet when I am painting.

Do you use masking fluid?
Yes, for small shapes.

When do you know that your piece is finished?
I find that if I am fiddling around and don’t really have a purpose for adding something, then the painting is probably done. I will also look at my painting in a mirror across the room from me while I do other things. If nothing pops out that needs adjusting, then I know I am done.

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