Molly Murrah recently shared her watercolor techniques and favorite color palette. If you missed her live on Zoom – here’s the replay!

Here’s a quick Q&A with Molly:

Why do you make art?
I started drawing as a child, but became truly enamored with making art in high school. Now art is how I follow my passion, learn new creative processes, hone my skills and grow as a human being…all activities that contribute to my happiness.

How long have you been painting?
I have been earnestly painting in watercolor for about 20 years. In college, I originally majored in math, then switched to art my senior year. After college, I lived in NYC and worked as an administrative assistant at three design companies, the last one trained me as a production artist. Then I moved to Seattle and transitioned into graphic design, spending 35 years as a freelancer – a perfect path for me since design combines both math and art skills. Now, among my many other jobs for the Northwest Watercolor Society, I’m one of their designers.

Did you have formal art training?
My training has mainly come from taking various classes and workshops over the years with watercolor artists whose work I admire.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist?
I am a working artist. I teach watercolor classes both in person and online. I love helping other artists find the kind of satisfaction I experience when painting and making art.

What inspires you?
Wanting to be a good teacher fuels my search for inspiration. When I determine what I want to teach in each class, I look for artistic aids and references that will serve that purpose, and through those searches I find creative inspiration everywhere I look.

Do you listen to music while painting?
I don’t listen to music – apparently I enjoy the monologue in my own head!

Have you had a mentor?
I have not had one primary mentor, just various teachers I have studied with, either through ongoing classes or short term workshops. I have always come away with at least one gem from each art experience, and I internalize these gems in my own creative process.

Do you paint every day?
I do not. I have often said that if I had to paint every single day, I would slit my wrists! I love working and designing on my computer, so I spend about equal time in both disciplines.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at the same time?
If painting a piece that has stages with fairly long drying times in between, I may paint more than one piece. I paint fairly quickly though, so I usually work on one painting at a time.

Do you create a concept piece first?
I do not. I formulate my painting in my mind — most often lying in bed before rising — and I continue thinking about it until my vision and process for execution are clear. My graphic design experience sharpened my ability to visualize a project before designing it, and this has really helped me in my painting process. In both design and painting, you’re always starting with a blank page.

Do you prefer painting in studio or plein air?
I prefer painting in the studio. My studio is my happy place.

How many core colors do you use?
Goodness, I have so many gorgeous DANIEL SMITH colors, it’s almost impossible to narrow them down. I would say I have 12-14 basic colors that I use most often. It also depends on the subjects I‘m painting.

Tubes, pans or sticks?
I do have some of the brilliant DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks, but I mostly use tube pigments. The sticks are wonderful to use when traveling.

How do you know when your piece is finished?
I’m such an instinctive painter, it’s hard to describe. If I’ve executed a good drawing and compositions, established good values, and enlivened my painting with pleasing color, then a feeling of satisfaction just settles into my being. It’s like taking a bite of my favorite ice cream… YUM!

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Join us online each week for chats, demos and paint-alongs – with Daniel Smith CEO and Owner, John Cogley and guest artists from around the world. On Thursdays (2:00pm Pacific), John highlights various features of our products and answers your questions. On Fridays (10:30am Pacific), a guest artist shares tips and techniques in a demo.  Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

Check our Facebook page for news about upcoming guest artists or to watch past replays. Each Zoom meeting is also recorded and shared on our YouTube channel. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.