Part 1: Watercolor—A History of Control, and Letting Go
How artists from Turner to today have used design, restraint, and light to shape one of painting’s most misunderstood mediums
J. M. W. Turner, The Blue Rigi, Sunrise, 1842. Watercolor on paper.
At Mark Rengers Gallery, an exhibition of watercolor paintings by Ron Thurston will open on May 1st.
Before we get there, before we talk about his work, his influences, or even his process, it’s worth stepping back to look at the medium itself.
Because watercolor carries a reputation that doesn’t quite match its reality.
It is often described as light and portable and sometimes misunderstood as easy.
But historically, and practically, it has been anything but.
A Medium That Traveled Before It Was Taken Seriously
Watercolor’s early use was largely functional.
It was the medium of expeditions, documentation, and observation. Naturalists used it to record plant species. Architects sketched elevations. Travelers captured landscapes quickly, before the light changed.
It was immediate. Efficient. Responsive.
But it was not always considered final.
That began to shift in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly in England, where artists like J. M. W. Turner began to push watercolor beyond documentation and into something far more ambitious.
Turner did not treat watercolor as secondary. He used it to explore light, atmosphere, and movement in ways oil paint could not easily achieve. Washes became storms. Paper became air.
And suddenly, watercolor was not just recording the world.
It was interpreting it.
From Precision to Expression
By the time artists like Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent embraced watercolor in the 19th century, the medium had expanded even further.
Homer used it to capture the rawness of coastal life. Salt air, tension, labor.
Sargent used it with confidence and restraint. His watercolor work often feels immediate, but underneath that immediacy is a clear structure that leaves little room for hesitation.
What these artists understood is still true today.
Watercolor rewards clarity of intention.
Because once the brush touches the paper, the painting begins to move forward, whether you are ready or not.
What Makes Watercolor Different?
Watercolor by Louise De Masi
Unlike oil or acrylic, watercolor is not built on top of the surface. It enters it.
Pigment is carried by water into the fibers of the paper, which means it cannot be fully taken back once it is placed. Light does not come from added paint. It comes from the paper itself. Edges are shaped as much by moisture and timing as by the brush.
This creates a constant negotiation between control and release.
Too much control, and the painting becomes tight.
Too little, and it loses structure.
The balance is delicate, and it begins before the painting even starts.
The Real Work Happens Before the Brush
One of the most overlooked aspects of watercolor is that its freedom is built on structure.
Because correction is limited, the artist must solve problems in advance.
Where will the light exist?
What areas must remain untouched?
How will the eye move through the composition?
In this way, watercolor is less about painting your way into a solution and more about designing one before you begin.
This principle can be seen across generations. Andrew Wyeth approached watercolor with a similar discipline. In many of his winter scenes, the snow is not painted at all. The white of the paper is preserved and becomes the light of the image.
First Snow by Andrew Wyeth, Watercolor on paper.
The image depends not on what is added, but on what is protected.
Contemporary watercolor artist Louise De Masi demonstrates this same idea with remarkable clarity. Her work shows how careful planning, controlled washes, and the intentional preservation of white paper create light and form. What appears effortless is built on decisions made before the painting fully unfolds.
Together, these examples point to a shared truth.
In watercolor, light is not painted in.
It is designed and preserved from the very beginning.
Why This Still Matters
Today, watercolor continues to sit in an interesting place.
It is widely practiced, widely accessible, and still often underestimated.
But for artists who commit to it, the medium offers something rare.
A direct connection between intention and result, with very little room for disguise.
It asks for clarity, confidence, and a willingness to adapt.
And that combination is what gives watercolor its particular kind of power.
Looking Ahead
In Part 2, we will look at an artist whose work helps illuminate this balance, someone whose influence can be felt in the way contemporary watercolorists approach the medium today.
Image Credits & Sources
J. M. W. Turner, The Blue Rigi, Sunrise, 1842 — Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
Louise De Masi — © the artist (used for educational/reference purposes)
Andrew Wyeth, First Snow — Public domain
The balance is delicate, indeed! I have a hate-love relationship with painting with watercolors.