Fisher Girl 1907

Harrison Fisher made this watercolor, Fisher Girl, and right away I notice the way the washes create a sense of lightness. You can really see how he built up the image step by step. Look at the hat – it's practically a storm cloud, but rendered with such delicate strokes. The colors blend into each other, blurring the lines and giving it a soft, almost dreamy quality. The texture of the paper peeks through in places, which adds to that feeling of airiness. It’s like he’s capturing a fleeting moment, a glimpse of beauty. Think about how John Singer Sargent used watercolor. There's that same effortless quality, that ability to make the medium look easy, even though it's anything but. Ultimately, art is about seeing and feeling, and Fisher invites us to do both.