I’ve been searching for my artistic voice for almost two years. After taking lots of self-paced “classes’” for watercolor painting (AKA ordering books, doing lessons, watching IG tutorials and YouTube videos), I found myself constantly looking for my artistic voice-- my style, my unique flare in this field. Why? I’m not sure. Seems that’s what the cool kids were doing. All the IG artists I was following had a style all their own. Their art was most definitely consistent. Pretty sure I wanted that…to have my art recognizable (amongst my family and friends, at least).

If you’re like me, you’ve tried several different styles of watercolor painting (not to be confused with techniques of watercolor painting). From the perspective of a self-taught artist, these are my definitions of watercolor styles:

1. LOOSE - where watercolor is freely placed on the canvas--almost haphazardly--and allowed to go where it wants (versus being micro-managed by the artist).

2. INK AND WASH - where black line work is applied before or after watercolor paint to create definitive shapes or subjects.

3. PRECISION - where subjects look real--or at least that’s the goal. 

This is not a complete list. Nor are those likely the correct terms or definitions one would learn if one had taken even a single art class. Ahem… 

With a collection of how-to books on my shelf, I was afforded the opportunity to try multiple styles, hoping one would click. Or that I would become passionate about one style and want to learn more and practice more. Every time I stumbled upon another quick-process video on IG, I wanted to do that style because the video clips made it seem so easy and accessible. It was always enjoyable to attempt to copy the style but nearly impossible to sustain and call it my own. Below is a simple overview of various styles of my watercolor painting, with inspiration from various tutorials, books, and classes.

 NOTES TO SELF:

• Keep watching

• Keep learning

• Keep practicing

• Keep showing up

In other words, say yes to different styles, techniques, brushes, paints, pens, and pencils, until you’ve found your sweet spot.

So, back to my original question: WHEREFORE ART THOU ARTISTIC VOICE? The blog title was clearly a cheeky play on Shakespeare’s famous line: “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?' When I checked to ensure I was spelling “wherefore” correctly, I was surprised to learn that in Shakespeare’s day, “wherefore” meant “why” not “where,” as I had assumed. Juliet is agonizingly asking why Romeo has to be from the Montagues (the family hers is fighting against). Without getting further caught up in literature, when I learned the question is asking WHY not WHERE it brought an ah-ha moment: WHY define one’s Artistic Voice? Why does it matter when I’m just learning? Until I find myself ready to open a gallery or be commissioned for custom works of art, I don’t think putting undue pressure on myself to fit into a specific category is necessary. I offer you to consider the insight from Shakespeare as well. No need to label yourself in a single style. Enjoy sampling all the styles unless you feel that satisfying “click”.