Newcombe Lake

Lately I have found myself drawn to line and wash watercolor paintings. The technique is quite old and was practiced by ancient Chinese artists and was very popular in 17th century Europe. It is often associated with preparatory sketches of subjects prior to a final painting.

What draws me to this style visually is the contrast between the sharp, clean lines of the ink drawing and the softer, colorful watercolor washes. Dramatic contrast and differences in value (dark versus light) add excitement and interest to art and I think the line and wash style offers ample opportunity to do this.

For this painting, my eye was drawn to the contrast between snow and the dark of the trees and the interesting reflections in the water. The sunlight on the brick of the building across the lake initially attracts the viewer’s attention and then the reflections in the water lead the eye to the colorful snow in the foreground. Finally, the reflections of the dark trees across the lake pull the viewer in a circuit back to the start. The darkness of the ink accentuates the brightness of the snow and these changes in value adds excitement to the image.