Rita Rust

Inspiration seems to be constantly available when we are ready to find it, or it finds us.

The quality of light in a scene or subject is what often grabs my attention, asking me to share the beauty, moment, or feeling it invokes by painting it. Occasionally a concept calls out to be explored, and creating an image to support it is the goal.

Watercolor is my chosen medium for its qualities of translucence, spontaneity and proclivity to create unintended results. It is a challenging medium which provides endless opportunities to experiment, explore and lose oneself in the process.

The process, or technique is, in the strictest sense, constant; pigment plus water applied to a ground. Yet the variables influencing the outcomes are innumerable (paint quality, paper weight, sizing, and quality, atmospheric conditions, brush size/shape, etc…). For Plein air or studio pieces I use only transparent watercolor on watercolor paper, employing any number of learned techniques (washes, wet on wet, wet on dry, layering, scumbling, dry brush, scraping, etc) depending on the subject, mood or conditions to achieve a desired effect. Plein air works require quick decisions as everything around you can be constantly changing. The light, shadows, wind, humidity and sometimes even the subject are always in flux. In sketchbooks I generally begin with a contour drawing in ink and go on from there with more spontaneous watercolor markings.