Gouache is a medium that isn't used very much. Back in the day, gouache was the go-to medium for illustrators because it is water soluble, dries matte and therefore photographs well, and is not expensive. Gouache paintings are typically made on a fairly firm paper support like poster board or Bristol. The paint is much like transparent watercolor but has added ingredients that render it opaque. Like watercolor, gouache is re-activated by water. That is, the paint can be lifted, smeared, or otherwise altered if exposed to wetting. I've a few tubes of gouache but it isn't a medium I've done much with in recent years. Still, gouache is a lovely kind of paint.
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| Untitled, gouache on paper, 6x8 |
While tidying files and paintings I discovered a gouache from a few years back. The subject is a view from my studio window, painted while standing at the windowsill. The support was already smudged and dotted with paint here and there but I sketched the subject rapidly with full-bodied juicy strokes, using a limited palette. It was one of those bright sunny days that often follow mid-winter snowstorms, lighting the tree trunks golden and throwing dark blue shadows.
Perhaps gouache deserves another look.
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