• "The simpler a background is, the more mastery there must be in it:  A full and satisfying result must be accomplished with extremely limited means."  Robert Henri (1)

• "A weak background is a deadly thing."  Robert Henri (1)

• "At times secreted in the appearance of a simple tone, there is a whole gamut of color, a shifting across the spectrum which keeps the thing alive, illusive, and creates the mystery of depth."  Robert Henri (1)

• "I painted the background in sections.  As soon as I was finished with one area, I charged the wet wash with pure colors to vary the background without sacrificing the dark color."  Zoltan Szabo (2)

• "As soon as the wash lost its shine, but before it dried, I dropped clear water into it and created a few abstract back runs to animate the background a little."  Zoltan Szabo (2)

• "The most beautiful watercolors are virgin washes decorated with calligraphy."  Edgar Whitney (3)

• "Lost edges help make your subject appear to emerge from the background rather than looking as if they were pasted on top."  Jan Kunz (4)

• "The best time to plan the background is when you make your value sketch."  Jan Kunz (4)

• "Your composition should only have one dominant shape or group of shapes.  Make sure background shapes don't compete with the main form."  Jan Kunz (4)

• "...if any section of the painting isn't working with the rest of the composition, no matter how beautiful it is, paint it out."  Jan Kunz (4)

• "Even though space is shallow in most still-life compositions, you can bring your subject forward a bit by placing a cooler, contrasting background behind it."  Nita Leland (5)

1. The Art Spirit - Robert Henri
2. Color-by-Color - Zoltan Szabo
3. Learn Watercolor the Edgar Whitney Way - Ron Ranson
4. Painting Beautiful Watercolors from Photographs - Jan Kunz
5. Exploring Color - Nita Leland