Cobalt Blue, Rose Madder Genuine, Burnt Sienna, Payne's Gray, Hooker's Green... Sounds like an encoded language for most people, but not for watercolorist!

For us madly in love with this beautiful media, it's like notes for a composer, you select the correct colors, take your favorite brush, lots of water and decent paper and here it is, first sound of the first brush stroke. Louder and louder as you add more colors on the paper, make it a little delicate buy doing washes with water, little details will add nuances to our work... and here you are - a fresh, still wet master piece-music!

You might ask: "What's your favorite color?" You will be surprised to hear: My favorite watercolor paint is Ivory Black (quite dark to be favorite, ha?) But you will see it in my works, this gorgeous warm black, brown even. By the way, I am almost out of it again.

I started studying watercolors (акварель) in Russia when I was about 8 years old. I went to The Art School #3 in Novosibirsk city, Siberia, Russia, my wonderfull teacher Tatyana Veniaminovna gave us lessons on composition and painting still life. There were carefully placed arrangements of different sorts of objects on the table with rich draping, they would stay untouched for 2-3 weeks so we could finish our works. Paper was always large size, pinned to the heavy big easle ( after work was finished you could see the round white spots around the edge of paper after the pins). Our works were kept by the school, and now most of the paintings are donated to russian pre-schools. I think this knowledge has formed my style.

I took a big break for a few years, during that period I was not painting much, and just 1 year ago I have started watercolor paintings again. And oh my god, how much do I enjoy this activity! Have you tried to paint yourself yet? Please do, and you will see how fast you will start speaking Raw Sienna, Cerulean Blue, Cadmin Yellow Pale...

- Ekaterina Smirnova