Nadezhda Bogomolova

Sky watercolor painting

The sky watercolor painting is almost pure abstraction, a play of wispy forms and modulated colors. Blue is a classic tone that appeals intensely for its cool associations. Blue sky with clouds painting is like a childhood dream to ride on the cloud and soar in the sky.

“The clouds were really nice that day. Fluffy clouds, white like sheep, like large pieces of cotton. They were floating in the blue sky. I imagined they were playing hide and seek or maybe catch-up. They were so funny and pleasant. That’s why I painted them.” the artist said.

Nadezhda Bogomolova specializes in plein air painting. Clearly, she is gifted at painting clouds in the art of watercolor. She sits and observes as she works.

Colors that dance

She uses watercolor as it affords so many ways to capture the uniqueness of landscapes. There is no need to sketch. The present scene of the big sky is translated into the artist’s own palette of colors on the spot in her sky with clouds painting.

Here in this sky with clouds painting, bright blue dominates with touches of light green for contrast. You can feel the wind playing havoc with the clouds. The horizon is low in the composition with a modicum of land at the edge.

This is an active scene given the movement implied. The clouds don’t float: they prance across the heavens. Plus, the colors literally dance amid the white foam. Painting clouds in watercolor seems so easy!

Materials and medium

She does it with the wet-on-wet technique, the hallmark of her style. Part of the success of the technique is the silky smooth ARCHES paper from France. It is acid-free, 100% cotton, 300 gcm, and a conservationist’s dream. Watercolors on this fine art product will endure forever.

The work measures 50x30cm, the perfect size for this sky with clouds painting. A wet paint-laden brush is here dense and there translucent. The immediacy of watercolor is miraculous. The hues create a staccato effect as they cavort across the paper.