Deborah Y. Strauss shares with you some famous watercolor painters and their works, including one of America's own favorites: Georgia O'Keeffe.

1. W E L L - K N O W N WAT E R C O L O R A RT I S T S
C R E A T E D B Y D E B O R A H Y. S T R A U S S , D . V. M .

2. • Watercolor is one of the most simple forms of fine art
when it comes to supplies, but one of the most
difficult forms to master.

3. • Watercolor painters are most known for their abilities to see detail in
the ordinary and for their understanding of how color works
individually and in collaboration with one another.

4. • If you ever want to experiment with
watercolors yourself, here is a list of
painters that you should emulate
that have been widely recognized
as masters of the art form…

5. • First is J.M.W. Turner, who
discovered watercolor as a
medium for plein air
painting in the late 1700s.

6. • Turner painted mostly expressive
paintings of the European countryside
and ocean, which “anticipated the
Impressionist movement by over 50
years and turned landscape painting
into a vital discipline where it had
previously been the domain of
amateur naturalists and
hobbyists,” (Heaston, Discover the
Great Watercolor Artists).

7. • Another well-known British
watercolor expert is James
McNeill Whistler, recognized
for his use of short brush
stroked and small dabs of
color - the antithesis of his
oil paintings, many of which
you probably know.
• Whistler could always be
found sketching images of
everyday life wherever he
was, and used those
sketches as the basis for his
beautiful paintings.

8. • Winslow Homer is one of
the most important
watercolor artists in the
19th century.

9. • He was “a largely self-taught
painter who embraced
watercolor so thoroughly for
his many landscapes,
seascapes and scenes of
everyday life in 19th century
America,” (Heaston, Discover
the Great Watercolor Artists).
• Many contemporary artists
interested in watercolor often
look at Homer’s works for
inspiration.

10. • Another great artist, especially known for her creativity and attentiveness with
watercolors, is Georgia O’Keeffe.
• After moving to a the rural environment of New Mexico, O’Keeffe often used vibrant
colors and light in her paintings as a reflection of the atmosphere she was
surrounded by.

11. • Last on this list is Jamie
Wyeth, an American
painter who often used
drypoint watercolors in
her work.
• Drypoint watercolors
means that very little
water is used throughout
the painting process.

12. • Wyeth’s parents were both widely recognized painters in
America, and many of his paintings reflect scenes of New
England that you can be witness to today.

13. • It is clear that throughout the years watercolor has be used to
create beautiful works that display a time, place, and emotion
of a painter - something that we can still commemorate as we
discover new artists and our own unique appreciation for
watercolors.