Nishita Jain is a watercolor artist known for her atmospheric landscapes that explore light, mood, and the quiet rhythms of nature. Nishita’s work has been selected for prestigious juried exhibitions, including the Society of Watercolor Artists, the American Impressionist Society, and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. Her work has been featured multiple times in Splash: The Best of Watercolor.
Working primarily in transparent watercolor, Nishita focuses on expressive mark-making, subtle value relationships, and the interplay of warm and cool tones to create a sense of depth and stillness.
In this feature, Nishita walks us through the development of a recent painting, sharing her process in her own words—from the initial washes to the final refinements.
Stage 1 — Establishing Movement and Light
The first stages of this painting involved a degree of risk, markmaking without fully controlling how the pigment would move.
Using a pipette, I introduced fluid washes of blue into the paper to map the shadows in snow through the composition. At this stage, I wasn’t trying to control the outcome. I was watching how the water carried the paint and making decisions in response.
The goal here was not accuracy, but energy—establishing the direction of the shadows and preserving the white of the paper for snow and light.
Stage 2 — Building Structure and Temperature
Once the initial washes settled, though not fully dry, I began introducing warmer tones to define the trees and vegetation around the stream, still using a pipette to stay spontaneous.
Stage 3 — Refining Without Overworking
This shift in color temperature helped separate water from snow and create a clearer path through the composition.
The darker values in the stream started to anchor the painting and guide the eye inward.At this stage, the focus was on strengthening key areas while preserving the freshness of the earlier washes.
At this stage, I focused on strengthening the focal area while leaving much of the earlier work untouched. I was especially mindful of preserving the whites in the water. These were saved directly, without masking, by carefully laying the washes using a quill brush.
A few sharper edges and deeper values helped bring clarity, but most of the decisions here were about restraint, knowing what to adjust and what to leave alone so the painting could retain its sense of light and atmosphere.
Stage 4 — Adding the Finishing Touches
The challenge was to stop at the right moment, allowing the initial spontaneity to remain visible in the final piece.
I often step away before adding the final touches, returning to the painting with fresh eyes over time. This helps refine key areas while avoiding overwork.
This piece stayed with me for several months and was finally shown at a recent open studio, where it was acquired by a collector.
To see more of Nishita’s work, visit the Artists’ Gallery online shop and explore her available paintings. You can also follow her on Instagram @nishitajain for studio updates and new work, or visit her website at www.nishita.art for a broader look at her portfolio.