Arrowtown 1953

Rita Angus made this watercolor painting, Arrowtown, sometime during her career. The washes of color feel so immediate, like she was trying to capture a fleeting moment of light on the land. There's a beautiful contrast between the soft, diffused colors of the hills and the sharp, dark line that defines the mountain's edge. It's like she's using the line to hold everything together, to give form to the landscape. I am drawn to the way the watercolor bleeds and blends, creating these unpredictable textures and gradients. It reminds me that painting isn't just about control, it's about embracing chance and letting the medium do its thing. It has a similar feel to some of the landscapes of Paul Cézanne, who also felt very rooted in the land and how to best represent that in paint. Ultimately, I feel that there is no right or wrong way to respond to a work of art, and that's what makes it so exciting and alive.