I'm not sure when exactly this "personal quest" emerged, but it was probably about 30 years ago. I was in a boat and I looked at the water and saw the dancing and flowing patterns and wondered how I would ever be able to capture that undulating wonder on paper.
It haunted me-- for decades. Still does.
Almost every time I would see water, whether the ocean, a lake or a pool, in real life or in a photo, I would think:
"How can I capture this?"
Strangely, I have made very few attempts to tackle drawing water. Instead, I have put my energy into seeing water. I am comforted with the thought that it might be more important to actually SEE--and appreciate--than to "capture" it. In my book, ISH--the last scene shows Ramon savoring a spring day and instead of "capturing it"--he instead "simply savors it."
Having said that, I am still on a quest to make a painting of water. Staring down the patterns that nature creates. Breaking it down. Translating the shapes. Mixing my paints to approximate those shapes.
There is something wonderful about having a challenge teasing me. Perhaps it is better not to tackle it and just have it coax me along... to keep my eyes open and really see this beautiful world we're blessed to be living in.
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Not every quest has a definitive resolution. Sometimes the most rewarding quests are those that have no end, but they constantly inspire us.
When it comes to wanting to "capture" something artistically, it just doesn't always happen...or at least not easily : / Water is tough because in nature it's in constant motion, even if it's just underneath the surface by the things that live there--and it reflects light on and beneath its surface. I think that's why it becomes difficult--it's the determining of where and how those reflections and movements are and how it translates into what we see. You're not the only one who struggles with it, Peter :D
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