Bishopston 1927

James McBey made this watercolor, Bishopston, at some point in his life. The way he approaches mark-making, it's all about the journey, the process of laying down each wash and line. Look at how McBey uses thin, transparent layers of watercolor to build up the scene. The paint isn't trying to hide anything, it's just flowing and pooling where it wants to go. Notice the dark greens and browns along the bottom edge. These anchor the composition, giving weight to the foreground and drawing you in. Then there's that pale wash of color in the sky, creating a sense of light and atmosphere. It feels like he's capturing a fleeting moment, a glimpse of a landscape in motion. McBey reminds me of other artists who weren't afraid to let the process show, like John Singer Sargent. But while Sargent was all about bravura brushwork, McBey is more subtle, more intimate. Ultimately, art is an ongoing conversation, a dialogue between artists across time and space.