Reflections on Water #2 continues the perceptual inquiry begun in 1991 with the Reflections on Water #1 painting. It also shifts the emphasis by re-positioning transparency, overlay, and compositional variation.
Executed on hot-pressed watercolor paper, the second of the two Reflections on Water paintings was conceived on a smoother surface. Thus, it demanded a different approach: layered color washes and varied line widths create resonance without relying on textural grain. In other words, in Reflections on Water #2 the clarity and vibrancy derive from the controlled transparency of acrylic overlays, producing luminous effects that evoke water’s shifting reflections.
More specifically, in many ways Reflections on Water #2 is in dialogue with Reflections on Water #1. Looking at the two together demonstrates how surface and technique alter perceptual outcomes. Reflections on Water #1 foregrounds the expressive possibilities as well as the unpredictability of rough paper. Reflections on Water #2, by contrast, demonstrates the precision and luminosity achievable on smoother surfaces.
Both works underscore my sustained interest in the intersection of material, perception, and visual cognition. Both also demonstrate a fascination with technique and how surface choices shape both process and perceptual outcomes.
See also Reflections on Water #3 and Reflections on Water #4
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Amy Ione
Title: Reflections on Water #2
Date: 1992
Medium: Acrylic, applied with airbrush, on hot-pressed watercolor paper. Ink
Dimensions: estimated 26.75 x 21.5 x 1
Signed
Catalog Number: 26000