Watercolor by Joseph Chiang

Watercolors of Belize 2009

The feathering effect of watercolor catches my breath when I see it gradually develops into sky, ocean or any kind of vegetation on paper. Its spontaneous effect also reminds me of the creation of nature. When I see colors floating on paper surfaces and being pulled by gravity, I think of it as the growth of plants - showing strength and life force quietly, like Spring sprouts that are tender yet full of vitality, and like stems and roots that are soft yet powerful enough to break rocks.

Fallen in love with nature and depicted it a lot in my arts, I realize there are so many things, such as life-force and strength, that are hard to imitate through visual images. The best that I feel I can do is to refine the mark-making to try to create a fluency that is similar to the smooth creation of nature. No matter how hard I try, I will never be close to the perfection of nature. Perfection in nature is, for example, a tree that grows countless leaves all at once when the right time comes, yet all of them exist with one another in harmony. I feel I could spend my whole life and still could not do paintings that match the harmony of nature. However, watercolor gives spirit to my painting; when I use washes and see colors growing and feathering on paper, I sense its life force, and I see that it has a mind of its own.