Discover the beautiful, melancholic watercolour painting style by traditional artist @merce_fotomirades. Let us explore the visual storytelling in her portraits entitled Leopard woman, Suicide, and Sad eyes.
In her watercolour depictions, @merce_fotomirades does leave nothing to chance. Thus, every attribute of the sitter is well-chosen. For example, the Leopard woman has a more rounded face resembling a cat’s circular head. And the young lady in the painting Suicide glows with warm pink cheeks while sinking into the cold blue ripples of water that consist of her hair.
Here is a table of contents for easy navigation.
Table of contents
- Mujer leopardo [Leopard woman], by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
- Suicidio [Suicide], by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
- Ojos tristes [Sad eyes], by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
- Untitled, by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
- Untitled, by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
Now, let us discover the insanely beautiful watercolour painting by the artist @merce_fotomirades.
1) Mujer leopardo [Leopard woman], by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
What a beautiful watercolour painting by @merce_fotomirades! Furry ears of a leopard adorn this young lady’s hair. Her rounded head resembles the circular skull structure of a great cat in the wild. By contrast, a longer, oval face would not have triggered such an association. Blue sparkling eyes lit by the bright sun of Africa stare at us with an adamant gaze. Only a few blinks of eyesight away from shedding tears. In other words, liquid sorrows seem to be accumulating atop the woman’s irises and sclera.
Three black feline paw prints in the top left corner set us on the quest for her trails. This track finds its counterbalance in the bottom right corner of the watercolour depiction. There, @merce_fotomirades has placed a stylised, almost calligraphic line drawing of a domestic cat. And that house cat’s cuteness is calling into question the savage nature of this wild leopard kitten. However, the leopard woman’s skin tones and hair colour conform with our memorised concept of a leopard roaming the savannah.
The dark pink colour of her lips is woven into the background, emanating from the top left corner. This subtle modulation supports the firm placement of the portrait’s head within the picture frame. The young woman’s closed lips are diminished in size to match the width of a single eye. Consequently, her large eyes and cute nose add to her feline look. Squint your eyes and see how her lips, philtrum and nose merge to form a kittens snout. Additionally, two bushy, broad eyebrows add to the furry look. And the short haircut underlines the concept of “catness” conveyed in this watercolour painting by @merce_fotomirades.
2) Suicidio [Suicide], by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
A young lady’s head is horizontally reclining while stretching her elongated neck in this watercolour painting by @merce_fotomirades. Her eyes are staring vertically up into the ceiling or the sky. And her ears and cranium have sunken into a soft pillow formed by her thick, long, blue-grey hair. Her wavy tresses allow for multiple readings. One interpretation is flowing water. Visually decoding the ambivalence in this way, the young lady is drowning in her locks and, by extension, her memories and thoughts.
An ambivalent watercolour painting: resting on a sofa or drowning in the sea
However, when read as hair, this young woman could recline on a comfy pillow in bed, a wide sofa, or the floor contemplating the plafond above. Could she be resting on a meadow observing white clouds passing across an otherwise blue sky? Instead, her wavy, long blue curls suggest the salty sea, a turbulent, restless river or, at the very least, a plain, bubbling bathtub. Thus, watercolourist @merce_fotomirades invites multifold interpretations with the deliberate ambiguity of her brushwork. For a similar deployment of visual ambivalence, see this untitled watercolour painting by artist @squint_ur_eyes.
A watercolour palette for ice-cold visual storytelling
With a quantitative contrast, @merce_fotomirades makes the woman’s red, demanding lips stand out like the tip of an iceberg from the cold watercolour palette. These forlorn lips turn into sensuous, heart-shaped vertical lips about to drown in a sea of melancholy. The lady’s cold blue eyes suggest the experience of inner bleakness and loss but contrast starkly with the dark pinks and reds of her fiery cheeks. Indeed, her entire face is a sinking island on the brink of being engulfed in troubled waters. What a touching and very personal piece of art! Only a mature artist engages in such visual storytelling using facial features alone.
In short, this watercolour painting portrays a sense of lostness and solitude.
Not any sooner than writing these words did I spot this watercolour painting’s title: “Suicide”. @merce_fotomirades communicates a sense of loss, lostness and loneliness throughout her portrait depiction. The suicide victim’s wavy hair entangles cold recollections that will stay in our memory for quite some time.
3) Ojos tristes [Sad eyes], by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
A young woman stares past the viewer or herself in a mirror in this watercolour painting by @merce_fotomirades. Her face is paler than her body skin or the tint of grey, which subtly darkens the background. Her neck and sternum hold hints of an ever-so-dainty pink modulation. But her blouse remains blank white.
The lady’s forlorn, forsaken, sad eyes are chestnut brown and correspond beautifully with her dark hair. Her half-opened lips become the centrepiece of the composition. Above all, they comprise a cardinal point that shifts the watercolour portrait’s desperation towards a glimpse of hopefulness.
The young woman’s nose, seen from an angle slightly below, is convincing in terms of representational correctness. But, it serves a higher function: its darker tone owed to shading contrasts even stronger with the paleness of her cheeks, brow and chin. Yet, her generous neckline shines in barely perceptible wisps of pink and ochre skin tones.
The lady’s fiery lips contradict the overall monochromatic appearance of this watercolour portrait in a well-utilised quantitative contrast. Desire emanates from her mouth’s pulsating lilac-redness. But, the grey ambience surrounding her blossoming lips betrays a colourless, empty, and sad life.
Accordingly, her blouse is only sketched-in with a few bold yet decisive lines. This understated depiction of form in watercolours amplifies the barren emotional landscape of this lady’s life. Her eyes witness disappointment, suffering and disillusionment but are not devoid of hope. Her gaze stares into a questionable future.
4) Untitled, by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
A striking pose lends itself to a powerful composition in this watercolour painting by @merce_fotomirades. The fingertips of both hands rest at a young lady’s temples. Her eyes reside below the vertical centre of the portrait. As a result, this low placement draws attention to her void forehead, while the touch exerted onto her temples by her fingertips becomes more conspicuous.
Geometry structures the composition of this watercolour painting
Furthermore, the fully extended thumbs and fingers, arranged in axial symmetry, approximate the form of an equilateral triangle. This geometry supports her head in a nearly unshakable composition. Hence, stretching the skin around her eyes and pulling it over her temples seems to be the action of energising and clearing her mind.
Consistent lighting confirms the mood of the watercolour portrait.
The slight light reflections at the bottom right of each iris are suggestive of tear fluid silently accumulating. A light source emanating from the right edge of the watercolour painting could not selectively have caused these sparks. Such selectivity would contradict the shadow covering the outer side of the woman’s left cheek. Because even a small silver reflector placed low, in front and to the side of the portrait model would illuminate the chin and her left cheek. Consequently, I need to read those sparks as the light caught in the convexity of teardrops forming.
Well-matched hues comprise the colour scheme of this watercolour painting.
The lady’s irises appear to be brown. But they are painted by mixing the chestnut colour of her hair and the green linings of her top. The result is a green-brown hue complementing the cold grey of her nose piercing and earrings. Her slightly opened lips reveal two front teeth. And her well-groomed hair resists any disturbance caused by the pressure of touch.
Altogether, a thought-provoking depiction in watercolour.
In summary, this young woman keeps a crystal clear mind facing some troublesome decisions. Will she work her way through the wall of doubts in her mind? The word “Bullshit” tattooed on her neck might provide a pointer to her conclusions after successfully assessing the situation. Her gaze remains focused and undisturbed by the turbulences of life. What a thought-provoking watercolour depiction by @merce_fotomirades!
5) Untitled, by @merce_fotomirades, watercolour on paper
This watercolour depiction of a clown is one of my absolute favourite works by @merce_fotomirades. And probably, it is her most melancholic portrait depiction so far. First of all, this jester’s face might belong to a young woman, but equally could be of a teenage boy or an effeminate man. Since a clown’s face usually is heavily made-up, even the eyeshadow could easily belong to a masculine wearer. Yet, the delicate lips convey the impression of a feminine gaze confronting us out of the picture. Nonetheless, I refer to a man’s face while describing the countenance’s attributes.
Shapes in primary colours create an upbeat background.
The clown’s dark, green-brown eyes take on plasticity transcending the deliberate flatness of his hands, hair, clothes and the background. Five cropped shapes in blue, red, yellow and green adorn the edges of the watercolour paper. They serve to anchor the prankster in a circus or fun park setting. Similarly, the orange circles on his cheek add to the joyful and upbeat colour symphony.
A gloomy gaze inverts the mood of the watercolour painting
But, on the other hand, the clown’s melancholic stare meets the beholder’s eyes. This gaze hits me hard each time and is @merce_fotomirades‘s signature style expression throughout her watercolour portraits. All the fun, jest and entertainment dissolve within a millisecond. This clown is anything but happy.
A contorted, unapproachable posture becomes a murky metaphor.
His face seems jammed between those outward decorative shapes, the party colours, his dark ruff collar and his hands emerging from forearms crossed in front of his chest. Accordingly, his contorted wrists align in an almost hand-cuffed position. The gesture locks with open palms facing slightly sideways in an unapproachable posture. This hand signal is a gloomy, delicate metaphor for many lives suffering from limited happiness.
Nothing is random in this watercolour painting
@merce_fotomirades uses colour hues so masterfully to conjure up the circus fairground atmosphere, only to dissolve it with the lost soul of the clown. The prankster’s hands are paler than his face, almost lifelessly sitting atop the reticent black of his garments. Could we call this watercolour portrait a masterpiece? Admittedly, nothing is unconsidered or random in this painting. The artist has taken all decisions for a reason. The jester’s eyes are the absolute focal point. As a result of the posture chosen, his thin chin sinks into the Saturnian black of his ruff collar. Even his hair is black, or at least a Payne’s grey.
A watercolour portrait with heart-breaking visual storytelling
Whether the clown is a young woman or an adolescent boy, this life runs on inescapably disastrous tracks. More precisely, his is a path entangled in a web of restrictions on a dying profession and the financial burdens surrounding the latter’s demise. This watercolour painting’s heart-braking visual storytelling encapsulates a glimpse of the jester’s condition.
A sincere watercolour painting ready to pierce your soul
To conclude, the clown’s frontal gaze, so typical of many of @merce_fotomirades‘ characters, becomes unbearable in its brutal honesty. And it is this very sincerity in portraiture painting that triggers my imagination. What an outstanding work of art! Not easy to overlook today in a world of otherwise non-contemplative, unreflective, fast-paced visual consumption. Allow this image to slow you down and go deep beyond your skin suit to pierce your soul!
Discover more about the art of watercolour painting of @merce_fotomirades
I hope this article helped you appreciate the insanely beautiful watercolour painting by the artist @merce_fotomirades. And if you wish to see more of her art, then make sure you go to @merce_fotomirades.
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