2.21.2014

Ebb & Flow: Venetian Waters Watercolor Studies



Venetian Waters Study 1


Venetian Waters Study 2

Venetian Waters Study 2
with color manipulation in Photoshop



Venetian Waters Study 3


Venetian Waters Study 4


Copyright © Sophia Khan


There is an ebb and flow to the life of an artist.  At least there is one for me. There are cycles, moments of intense creativity, ideas beaming, studio getting messy and hurriedly being cleaned for the next painting.  And then there are moments that ask you to wait.  Wait for what wants to be created from you, perhaps through you. I am not blocked as an artist when I am here, I am listening for guidance; clues in the world around me, in my thoughts, in my memories....

It is in those later moments that the above small watercolor studies were painting. I felt a need, a pull, to go to Venetian waters, and paint only that.  A need that I cannot, nor do I need to name.  Perhaps it was from a place of calm and quiet in my own life; something meditative.  Either way, it simply is.  And I think those moments are beautiful, regardless of the results.  Those moments speak of a direct correlation between art and soul.  Something more mystical and mysterious than perhaps the thoroughly worked out, sketched, analyzed painting.

These studies have actually lead me to something very interesting I am currently working on and would love to share here in the future.  And perhaps with these, I was preparing myself for that next step that I am currently on.  It is a beautiful step, one that I am grateful for, and one that is bringing a new calm and lightness to my current body of work.  

Wishing you much warmth and beauty where you may happen to be in your journey,
Sophia