Painting Interior Scenes in Watercolor – Inspiration from Bonnard

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In the Car with Bonnard

I’m still thinking about, and staring at Pierre Bonnard. (If you missed the previous posts on my current muse, you can read them here and here.)

I’m leaning into painting interior scenes in watercolor after looking at Bonnard’s untroubled vignettes from around the garden, and inside the bathroom and kitchen of his home. His colorful paintings pull me into them. (Subscribe to this blog.)

Glad You’re Here, C’mon in!

Bonnard paints the people he loves , captured in intimate moments we strangers would never otherwise witness. It’s like an invitation to be adopted – to come in and sit down and pet the cat while sipping tea.

And then, Bonnard’s use of vibrant, layered color is like a Music Festival laid over all that contentment. Maybe it’s that contrast between domestic tranquility and fireworks colors that appeals to me so much. What do you think?

Artist Resources and Tips

If conversation isn’t your strong suit, especially at an exhibit that includes your art, Austin Kleon has some conversation tips in the form of short responses you can add to your script before your next mixer. Read them here.

When someone criticizes me and telling them to go to hell isn’t prudent: “You may be right.” (This stolen from Jerry Saltz, who says, “It has a nice double edge that the person often never feels and that gives pleasure.”)

Austin Kleon

Writing for The Blue Review, Trek Lexington compiled a list of Nineteen Artists You Need to Know in 2019, and it includes some of my favorite contemporary painters. You can see the list here.

Do you know the artist Emily Jeffords? Her wind-swept cloudscapes with suggestions of distant adventure on the horizon are very peaceful to look at. Here is an intro video, and here is a 12-week course she’s offering that sounds very interesting for artists who want to lift their business to the next level.

Rev Your Art Engines

The chilly evenings have been perfect for lighting the fireplace and camping on the couch with music and artwork in process. (Scout the Studio Cat considers these evenings Date-Nights.)

My wintery productivity is typical while preparing for two back-to-back art festivals in the Spring – The San Diego Artwalk, and the Sierra Madre Art Fair. (If you’re nearby, I hope you’ll come visit.)

Speaking of productivity, did you see this essay by Kelton Reid on Productivity vs Creativity? Are you in the groove, making time for art this season? Leave a link to your latest work in the comments.

Thanks for stopping in, and I’ll see you in the next post,

Belinda

P.S. Are you interested in a post about my favorite watercolor paint brushes?

P.P.S. If you or someone you know would benefit from a works-every-time system to title your artwork, here is a link to my course, with a discount code: How to Title Your Art

Art Quote

It pays to look at opportunity with a telescope. It’s real, but it’s distant. The telescope brings it into focus and helps you find your way there. Telescopes are easy to find if you look for them. And it often pays to look at trouble with a microscope. Not to get intimidated by the amorphous blob that could snuff out your dreams, but instead to look at the tiny component parts, learning how it is constructed and taking away its power. Once you realize how it’s built, you can deal with it.

Seth Godin

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