My watercolor paper has a smell. It might be the sizing, but the unique smell and feel of the paper is like no other art material I can find. When I stretch the highest quality paper I can find, the smell of the paper assures me that I am selling my clients the some of the highest quality paper made in the world. The paper is so thick and heavy I have to break it rather than tear it. The paper will make my pigments glow and respond to washes of pure color just like pure joy.

 

The tactile feel of my materials is one of the reasons I love being a visual artist. Creating art with my hands is a joyful tactile experience that I hope shows through the marks left on my paper. I paint most of my pieces on Arches paper. More about my papers here.