Tyrol Series 1910

John Marin made this watercolour painting, Tyrol Series, on paper, and it's all about the flow. The way he lays down the washes, one after the other, feels like he's letting the water do its thing, and that's how I like to work too, letting the materials lead the way. Look closely, and you’ll see how the blues and greens pool and mingle, creating this sense of depth. It's thin, washy, so it all feels very open, and the white of the paper is always peeking through. The brushstrokes are quick and decisive, like he’s trying to capture a fleeting moment. See that dark mark at the bottom right? It’s like a little anchor, holding the whole composition together. Marin reminds me a bit of Cézanne, in that he’s interested in the structure of things, but he's not afraid to let the paint run wild. It's like he's saying, "Here's what I saw, but also, here's what the paint did." It's about seeing and feeling, but also about the unpredictable nature of artmaking.