I’ve always admired Maxfield Parrish’s work. His paintings are very luminous, alive and vibrant. This is due to his technique of using oils and varnish between the layers of color.
I spent some time in the studio today experimenting with watercolor in an attempt to emulate this look. It’s not that easy. Watercolor works much differently in that the colors can blend.
In this study I first laid down the dark areas then, after some drying time, came back with the lighter colors of sunshine. In hindsight I learned that it would be better with this medium to first put down the light colors then use the dark color to define the shapes of the rocks and valleys. I’ll try this method next time.
Emulating Maxfield Parrish with watercolor
