Artist Spotlight: January, 2024

Irena Roman

Irena Roman is an award-winning transparent watercolorist and Professor of Illustration at the Massachusetts College of Art (MassArt) in Boston. She holds a BFA from MassArt and an MFA from Syracuse University.

Roman’s painting, Wayne, was voted at “Best in Show” at the Duxbury Art Association’s Annual Winter Juried Show 2024.

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You have been interviewed by the Art Complex before, back in October, 2020. Can you tell us again about your use of the transparent watercolor technique, and how it differs from watercolor technique?

Working transparently with watercolor means no white is added to the painting. All white areas that are visible are actually the white of the paper. Any areas of white (such as highlights, or rim light, for example) need to be protected ahead of time with an application of masking fluid, masking paper, or carefully worked around when the paint is applied. No “added” white, such as white watercolor or white acrylic, can ever match the intensity of the white of the paper. The white of the paper serves as both the brightest value as well as the lightest color in the painting. That’s why transparent watercolors can appear to have sparkle.

In your career as a watercolorist, have you always used the transparent technique, or did you migrate to this technique over time? What drew you to this technique?

I began my career as a freelance illustrator working for editorial, publishing, and advertising clients. Initially, my go-to medium was graphite, and I actually feared wet media! While I was drawn to the dramatic light effects and control I could achieve with pencil, the look of watercolor captivated me. But it wasn’t until I was in grad school that I overcame my reticence. I took an intensive watercolor class and realized I intrinsically understood the nature of transparent watercolor because it has a very similar sensibility to drawing. White as subtractive as opposed to additive aligned with my natural way of seeing and I never looked back. I’ve been painting exclusively in transparent watercolor ever since. 

Congratulations! Your painting, Wayne, recently won “Best of Show” in the Duxbury Art Association Winter Juried Show 2024. This detailed piece exquisitely renders a strong light source on your subject. Did you encounter any challenges with this piece that you hadn’t in the past?

Thank you! Wayne is a very large-scale watercolor, so just moving the paper around to distribute the wet-on-wet background wash as evenly as possible was a challenge in itself, not to mention applying all the masking fluid. Because the lighting situation is rim-lit, there were many fine details that needed to be protected, which was a time-consuming process. Again, all the white in the painting is the white of the paper. 

You have been collaborating with the museum over the past few years by using us as a “client” for your Illustration class at MassArt. As a professor, what can you tell us about the value of offering students a “real-world” example of working with a client?

The only real way to learn how to be a professional illustrator is to be one! I developed the Professional Freelance Studio class to provide students with the most authentic professional experience possible. They learn the ins and outs of collaborating with actual clients and are provided with the opportunity to have their work published before graduation. This gives them a leg up as emerging illustrators.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about your work?

I’m currently working on a figurative series that focuses on the intersection of reality and imagination, which is both challenging and liberating. It gives me permission to be experimental and embrace serendipity.