Joseph Zbukvic is a Croation born artist living and working in Melbourne, Australia.
Zbukvic’s atmospheric, emotionally resonant watercolors have a wonderful characteristic of being simultaneously loose and crisp — loose in that he suggests rather than elaborating, and crisp because of his masterful command of edges. He has a highly refined sense of when to define a sharp edge, and when to let an edge disappear into mists of hazy textured color.
His landscapes and cityscapes, often of locations in Europe, are highly evocative of the place, without being rigid in their portrayal of details and specifics. He portrays the kind of visual image we might call up as a memory of a fondly remembered place, both hazy and sharp.
Many of Zbukvic’s paintings are done on location. His palette is often muted and understated, though sometimes punctuated with higher chroma passages. Zbukvick enjoys dwelling on misty atmosphere, rain and overcast shadow, as well as the haze of bright sunlight.
Zbukvick gives highly regarded workshops. This year’s schedule includes dates in France, Spain and Canada as well as Australia. His DVD, Watercolor Impressions, includes scenes from previous workshops; you can see a short excerpt by clicking on the second image on the workshop page.
I also came across this video clip from Inside Joseph Zbukvic’s Sketchbook, related I think to a June, 2008 cover story on him in Watercolor Artist magazine.
In addition to his workshops, Zbukvick also teaches at Charles Sturt University and the Mitchell School of Arts.
Some of the galleries that represent his work have additional galleries in which you will find images not on his site (and/or larger reproductions, particularly the first two listed).
[Suggestion courtesy of Jeroen Coert]
Addendum: Adebanji Alade wrote to let us know about Zbukvic’s book Mastering Atmosphere & Mood in Watercolor: The Critical Ingredients That Turn Paintings into Art. Unfortunately, it is out of print and resellers seem to be asking high prices for it at the moment. Perhaps something to keep an eye out for.
Amazing art. Your latest posts are all outstanding! Too bad I don’t have time to sit back and read everything, but I’m coming every day and digesting it slowly.
When it comes to watercolours and a Master who knows how to explain every move he makes with watercolour-its JZ! He even formulated the waterclour clock that breaks the applications into tea, coffee, milk and sooo on, you just need to grab his book! When I read his book, I can hardly wait to try the next watercolour! He is one of my main inspirations when it comes watermedia! Thanks for the post!
Thanks, Adebanji. I wasn’t aware of the book. I’ve added an addendum to the post. Unfortunately, it seems to be out of print, and the resellers are asking high prices for it.
Oh, I never knew this, International artist published this some years back-it is a classic! He should have a 2nd edition-the book is great!
I love this work, a great inspiration.
Joseph’s painting gallery on his website jzbukvic.com features 26 of his master paintings. If you click on the full screen button on the far right of the lower navigation bar, all his paintings will show in full screen.
…and this is why I love watercolor.
breathtaking.