Transparent Watercolor Paintings by Jim Kosvanec
Watercolor paintings, yes, yet the term "transparent watercolor" often confuses viewers of Jim’s work—his colors are anything but faint or invisible. The phrase refers not to visibility, but to how much light passes through the paint to reflect back from the paper, illuminating the pigment. Some pigments are more transparent and luminous, while others are more opaque, and somewhat dull. Despite the scale of brilliance with all watercolor pigments, they come with critical limitations in mixing and layering. That’s where Jim really changed the game. He developed a groundbreaking watercolor mixing wheel and figured out how to master the elusive “juicy wash”—a technique so difficult that the legendary Irving Shapiro once said it could take 20 years to learn. After a few years of research, he whittled it down to 20 minutes of teaching then made it a contribution to the watercolor world. These techniques, along with his deep understanding of color, is what gives his work luminous intensity.
Overall though, it’s Jim's sensitivity to nuance that makes his paintings resonate. When painting portraits or other subjects, he listens exclusively to opera, letting the music guide his hand in all directions—sometimes even scraping moist paper with a fingernail to create highlights. His goal is to capture the thoughts and emotions of his subjects. The same sensitivity is found in his landscapes, abstracts, cityscapes, and coastal scenes. That juicy wash, along with his deep feel for color, is what makes Jim’s paintings so vibrant and full of light and life.
Take a moment with a piece that speaks to you. Consider why it draws you in—it may be the same reason it spoke to Jim.
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Dive in, and enjoy.
