Craig Masten Artist Website
Beavertail in the Rain
watercolor 14x18" matted and framed

This watercolor of Beavertail LIght,
probably the most famous lighthouse
in Rhode Island, was done in unusual
conditions. As I was finishing the
painting, it began to rain. This would
seem to protend disaster for a wet
watercolor. Instead, it served as a
perfect occasion to put to the test an
oft-quoted painting maxim. It's said that
watercolors are often created by
"happy mistakes," meaning  we find
ways to incorporate mishaps of drips,
bleeds or unintended mixing of colors
to create interesting effects we
otherwise would never think to include.
The fat raindrops splotting on the
paper fashioned a varigated texture  
which adds to the sense of an
overcast, rainy day.
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