“How do you do that?” How I paint glass and water

One of the things I get asked about the most is how I paint glass and water. And I love getting feedback from you about this, too:

"Beautiful, Marcia. Your study of light with the water in the vase is stunning."

"I just love your work! Your interplay of water and objects in the water is just amazing!"

"That mason jar looks so real, 

I could wipe the water drops off of it!"

If you attended my online Studio Tour last winter, you saw me demonstrate how I paint glass and water with shapes.

It's not really an exercise in skill, for me -- rather, it's an exercise in observation. 

I look for the shape of the water.

“I’m always dreaming"

Background also plays a big part in helping water look like water, and glass look like glass. Because glass and water are both transparent, I observe the color in the background. Often, I change the background color of a painting from what is in the photo or real life, so I've got to remember to reflect that in the water and glass as well.

Notice how the background color is reflected in the water and glass of these two paintings, "I'm always dreaming", and "Bowl of sunshine".

“Bowl of sunshine"

Background plays a big part in helping

water look like water and glass look like glass.

With every painting, I want to give you my impression of the energy I see and feel. Sometimes the water and glass give me a crystal clear zing energy and other times it feels softer, like a whisper, as in the painting, "Good things."

“Good things"

I always have told my grandkids, "Your eyes are your most important tools for art." They're pretty good artists at this point, so I'm sure they took my words to heart. At least I'm taking credit for it.

So that's how I do it - that's how it's always worked for me when painting things that many people think are elusive, like water and glass. I really have to look, and observe well. I have to squint. I break things down into shapes.

And then, I just paint what I see.