Calming the Mind: The Watercolors of Lauren Marcott

"Art takes me to a level where I lose myself and time flows easily," says this month's featured artist Lauren Marcott.  "Like yoga, it stills my 'monkey mind.'" 

Watercolor artist Lauren Marcott

 Marcott is noted for her beautiful watercolor landscapes and seascapes. Her subject matter springs from the beautiful places in the world she has lived and visited, such as Japan, coastal areas, Paris and Washington DC,  to name just a few.

"Paris Tribute," watercolor by Lauren Marcott

"I work mostly in transparent watercolor, a medium that refuses to be ordered around, defying my penchant for control and detail," she says of her work. "Watercolor is a portable  medium, amenable to travel, usually worked quickly.  Watercolors can be loose and flowing, deep and rich, sketches or paintings of detail that rival oils.  But to me the true magic of watercolor is how quickly, almost accidentally, it can capture the light in objects."

"Winter in Kyoto," watercolor by Lauren Marcott

 Marcott says she has "sketched since first grade," but only in the last few years has she worked in color. She draws inspiration from many places. She started out at the Bank Street School in Manhattan, where she studied crafts and color and pencil portraits.  She then taught and traveled in Northern Arizona, where she first encountered the unique perspectives and color of the Southwestern desert.

She worked and resided in East Asia and Europe, retiring from the U.S. State Department in 2007, after serving in London, Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as various places in Washington.  
Since then she has studied watercolor under gifted teachers at the Smithsonian, the Arlington Artists Academy, at Arlington Adult Education and most recently at the Art League.  She visits Paris often, as well as the coasts of New England in summer and Florida every winter -  hence the bistros, seashells and lighthouses that populate many of her paintings.

"Weather Change," watercolor by Lauren Marcott

Gallery patrons appreciate Marcott's subtle color palette, her impressionistic style,  and her proficiency for capturing the essence of place and time in her work. Her portfolio reads like a travel documentary, with the many renderings of scenes from all over the world. Additional works by Marcott can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/126919361@N04/albums

"Capitol Autumn," watercolor by Lauren Marcott



--Sandi Parker, Gallery Underground Co-Director