Andrey Esionov - Interview

How did you come to watercolors?   

Six years of study in Republican specialized music and art boarding school, specialty graphic artist, six years of study in Tashkent Ostrovsky `s State Theatre and Art Institute on poster department, at both Alma Mater the subject of the painting at the department of graphic was taught only in watercolor. So this is how I came, but first not to the watercolors, but via watercolor to oil. At the end of training I shifted to easel painting. I returned to watercolors 5 years ago.

Andrey Esionov

How do you select a subject?

The plot is built according to requirements of a classical composition, ie, I select a theme and I work through searches, sketches, sometimes trial washes. The work includes preliminary sketches without fail, if we talk about watercolors based on complex composition.

Andrey Esionov

Which colors in the palette are necessary for you?

Currently, no more than 12 colors: cadmium red, kraplak, ocher, iron oxide, Naples yellow, cadmium yellow, umber, blue, ultramarine, indigo, yellow-green and black.

Andrey Esionov

Is there a preference in the choice of paper, paints, brushes?

Paper by any manufacturer of 600 g. rough. Paints "White Nights" (Russia) in pans and any paints by European production in tubes. Squirrel brushes by any known manufacturer.

How do your individual features are manifested in your watercolors?

If you do not copy off from other artists' works, and stay yourself, your personality manifests as your personal painting style.

Do you think that the easy "incompleteness" only benefit watercolor work?

I do not like the word "incompleteness". If you mean, conscious use of paper white, untouched by paint, why not? If - it does not interfere with the integrity of the picture, or the composition solution, or just intuitively "delicious." If we go on the impressionistic style of writing, so watercolor in my opinion is very thereto.

Andrey Esionov

Full version of the interview read in my new book in series "Masters Of Watercolor" - "On Both Sides of the Great Wall".