Sky and Mountains c. 1909 - 1911

John Singer Sargent made this watercolour of a sky and some mountains, and I just want to dive right into it, head first. I can almost feel him making this; dipping the brush in clean water, then into a puddle of blue-y purple, then swoosh, across the page! What a joy to watch the pigment blooming on the paper, pooling in some places, skipped in others. It is a bit like the watercolour paintings that I made as a kid, but about a thousand times more masterful! He probably made it outdoors, on the spot, and maybe the wind was blowing. Watercolour is such a great medium for this kind of thing – quick, light, a bit unpredictable. It's cool to see how Sargent, a master of oil painting, embraced the qualities of watercolour in his work. It makes me want to get my own paints out. All artists are in a conversation with one another, cross-pollinating and inspiring creativity.