I love watercolors – the result can look so easy and effortless – the best don’t reveal the skill and control required.

watercolors. studio mus.har.

The Studio Museum of Harlem is showcasing 18 pieces on paper – A Delicate Touch: Watercolors from the Permanent Collection:

“Watercolor is quick, lightweight and portable. Successfully painting with watercolors requires dexterity, a soft touch and a delicate hand. The medium has an extensive history that dates back to European Paleolithic cave paintings. Scribes used watercolor to decorate illuminated manuscripts in the Middle Ages and European Renaissance. Eventually, watercolor became the technique of choice for artists to make sketches, copies and small-scale versions of larger works. Watercolor’s portability may account for why it was, and still is in many instances, the preferred painting style for depicting nature, wildlife and nautical themes.”

Some of the artists represented are Romare Bearden, Beauford Delaney, Norman Lewis, John Dowell, and Otobong Nkanga

Watercolors- lovely!

A Delicate Touch: Watercolors from the Permanent Collection

The Studio Museum of Harlem until March 14, 2010
144 West 125th Street, New York, New York