Winter c. 1927

Wilson Irvine made this watercolor painting called 'Winter' sometime around the turn of the century. It's a landscape, though at first it's hard to tell, isn't it? Irvine has built up the image from dabs and washes of diluted color. It’s like he's feeling his way through the scene, letting the colors bleed and mingle on the page. Look at the bottom left – there are meandering strokes of pink and blue that almost look like figures reclining on the beach! But then your eye travels up to the tangled branches and bare trees, rendered in shades of brown and gray. I think he’s out in the freezing cold, searching for the hidden colors of winter. It takes real guts to paint like that, to trust the process and let the image emerge organically. Artists are always pushing the boundaries of what painting can be, and Irvine is part of that ongoing conversation. It's all about experimentation, embracing the unpredictable, and trusting your instincts.