This past weekend I visited an incredible exhibition of watercolors by American artists at the Currier Museum in Manchester New Hampshire.

Hopper,Homer,Wyeth, and more. Sadly, no Sargent.

But what a great collection with excellent descriptions of styles and techniques. Visit them at the Currier Museum website while it is on until June 7.

One thing I learnt was that scraping off pigment to get to the "real" white contrast was done by many , including Homer and Hopper. I thought it was a no no ! But when you look closely , the torn paper proves it.

Hopper's houses are fabulous. How can he make houses so simple seem so interesting with those mgical shadows and highlights?

I saw one Wyeth titled "By the Light of The Moon " , a piece he did when he was about 83.

It is magnificent. I don't think the family allows anyone to use it in publications.

The exhibit was a lesson, once more, in the sheer power of contrast, of light versus shadows, and how essential they can be to giving the painting strength,drama, and visual pleasure that is usually missed in our everyday viewing of objects and people around us.

The exhibition also revealed to me just how much Americans did to take watercolors to a new level of creative expression. They gave it its own identity and meaning as a media of itself, way beyond being only studies done before doing oils etc

I also learnt that Homer loved his watercolors more than his oils . It's what he did on his vacations .. away from his commissioned oils in his studio.

I think it was the same for Sargent.

And Wyeth too. Watercolors, especially in away places, was a sheer flight of freedom for them .

As a little salute to these great Amercian artists, here are a couple of watercolors I did of US scenes . Clearly I still have a ways to go. But I am not even close to 83!!!

I am humbled by them all.