This episode is meant for friends to get excited about watercolors. We're thinking about similar mediums throughout the history of art, what artists are doing with the medium today, and where you can buy locally made, deliciously gorgeous colors. I recommend a case for making in San Francisco.
A few notes about this episode. It was made in a stream of consciousness style so afterwards, here's a few updates. Egg tempera (an older cousin to watercolor) is made with the egg yolk, not the white.
When I mentioned watercolor paper, I meant to say hot press vs cold press paper. The terms “hot press” and “cold press” refer to the paper’s surface finish or texture. Cold pressed paper has a slightly bumpy, textured surface. But hot pressed paper has a smooth surface finish. I prefer hot pressed paper for watercolors, but try them both out to see what you like!
to read more, check out this article:
https://www.watercoloraffair.com/cold-press-vs-hot-press-watercolor-paper-heres-how-to-choose/
two contemporary artists who's work I like and think are great for watercolor inspiration are Happy Monocal and Carson Ellis.
https://happymenocal.com/
https://www.carsonellis.com/
and lastly, the sublime painting I mentioned by Sandro Botticelli, called The Birth of Venus from 1485. Here's some info about it:
Known as the “Birth of Venus”, the composition actually shows the goddess of love and beauty arriving on land, on the island of Cyprus, born of the sea spray and blown there by the winds, Zephyr and, perhaps, Aura. The goddess is standing on a giant scallop shell, as pure and as perfect as a pearl. She is met by a young woman, who is sometimes identified as one of the Graces or as the Hora of spring, and who holds out a cloak covered in flowers. Even the roses, blown in by the wind are a reminder of spring. The subject of the painting, which celebrates Venus as symbol of love and beauty, was perhaps suggested by the poet Agnolo Poliziano.
It is highly probable that the work was commissioned by a member of the Medici family, although there is nothing written about the painting before 1550, when Giorgio Vasari describes it in the Medici’s Villa of Castello, owned by the cadet branch of the Medici family since the mid-15th century. This hypothesis would seem to be born out by the orange trees in the painting, which are considered an emblem of the Medici dynasty, on account of the assonance between the family name and the name of the orange tree, which at the time was ‘mala medica’.
Unlike the “Allegory of Spring”, which is painted on wood, the “Birth of Venus” was painted on canvas, a support that was widely used throughout the 15th century for decorative works destined to noble houses."
to see an image, click here:
https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/birth-of-venus
happy listening dear friends.
