Watercolour is a painting medium in which pigments are suspended in a water-based binder and applied in transparent washes, usually onto paper. Its defining quality is luminosity: because the paint is transparent, light passes through the colour and reflects back off the white paper beneath, giving watercolour its characteristic glow and freshness.
Watercolour has a particularly rich tradition in Britain, where it flourished as a major art form, and it remains one of the most beloved mediums for works on paper.
What makes watercolour distinctive
Watercolour is transparent. Rather than using opaque white paint to lighten colours, the watercolourist relies on the white of the paper, leaving areas unpainted or applying thinner washes to let more light through. This transparency gives the medium its luminosity but also its challenge, washes are difficult to undo, so the medium rewards confidence and planning.
Watercolour is prized for its spontaneity and its handling of light and atmosphere. Wet washes can be allowed to flow and merge on the paper, creating soft transitions and happy accidents that are central to the medium’s appeal.
The British watercolour tradition
Britain has a special relationship with watercolour. From the eighteenth century onwards, British artists raised the medium to new heights, particularly in landscape painting. J.M.W. Turner, in particular, transformed watercolour into a vehicle for extraordinary effects of light, weather and atmosphere.
This tradition established watercolour as a serious fine-art medium, not merely a means of preparatory sketching. It continues to inform the work of many contemporary British painters who choose watercolour for its immediacy and its unrivalled capacity to capture light.
Collecting watercolours
Watercolours are works on paper and are sensitive to light and moisture. Conservation framing, acid-free mounts and UV-protective glazing, is essential to preserve their delicate colour, and they should be hung away from direct sunlight.
At Byard Art, our collection includes original watercolours from contemporary artists, and our framing team can advise on the best way to protect and present them for the long term.
