Self-taught watercolorist Yevgenia Watts has studied art both in the Ukraine, where she was born and raised, and in the U.S., where she has lived since the age of 22.
Large, round brushes and an excess of paint and water enable Yevgenia to create art that is expressive, fresh and vibrant. Her current work involves experimenting on Yupo synthetic paper as an alternative painting support, which allows her colors to run, mix, and drip much more than on typical paper.
From the first moment I saw Yevgenia’s work, I immediately fell in love with the elaborate colorful shadows in Day Kate, a painting which captures a moment of insight into the simple femininity of a woman’s body and soul.
Overlapping pinks and tans blend quite glamorously together on the Yupo paper to create delicate contour lines, which, in turn, perfectly display the structure and curvature of Kate’s features.
Yevgenia doesn’t get caught up in strictly separating the colors of Kate’s hair with the background either; rather, she lets them almost seamlessly blend together, forming sensual, deep shadows in the background.
I’ve Got a Bike, shown below, meshes Yevgenia’s love of experimental “puddling” (allowing the paint to drip and pool, developing unique and sometimes temperamental splotches of color) with a careful precision that lends this painting just enough definable structure.
For instance, she cleverly used the puddling technique on the forefront to capture the shadow of the bike on the carpet. The variety of geometric and organic shapes found in the rug and within the bookcase and bike add many interesting visual moments to this piece, giving an ordinary setting an unexpected flair.
Last but not least, Poppy Field showcases Yevgenia’s playful dive into expressionism. Although at first glance this painting may appear to be rather basic, if you look closely you can see its true complexity shining through.
Each well-placed white line defines a single poppy, while dark clouds of crimson red and forest green add a second dimensionality to the painting and separate the poppies from the splish-splash of blues and oranges in the background.
If you can’t get enough of Yevgenia’s colorful paintings, then by all means, please visit her website at watercoloredhands.com for a plethora of still lifes, portraits, and landscapes, as well as tips and tutorials outlining how she creates each unique piece.