Seeing in Watercolor: Dr. Julia Fogg Finds Peace and Perspective in Painting

By Jessica Easter

Between research, teaching, and writing, Dr. Fogg, a veteran religion department professor and greyhound pup-lover, finds time to decompress and refocus through watercolor painting.  

“I chose watercolor because it is a difficult medium. The paints are luminous and mostly transparent, so you work from lights to darks to create perspective, atmosphere, space, and textures,” she tells Pluriverse.  “Watercolor is a challenge that keeps me engaged and reminds me that we learn by practice, not success, or perfection. It reminds me what it feels like to be a beginner every time I pick up a brush.”

Dr. Fogg likens the process to meditation, to faith itself, requiring belief in her skills and the materials, as well as the vulnerability of reaching into the unknown. The unpredictability and difficulty of the medium provides a means of deep reflection. Her art also connects Dr. Fogg to a family history (and future) of artists in different forms. 

“I come from a line of at-home artists,” she says. Dr. Fogg’s mother is primarily a weaver, fiber arts dyer, and knitter; she also dabbled in oils when she was growing up, as well as needlepoint, and flower arranging. “I find that painting links me to the women I come from. It also links me to the girl and two boys, my niece and nephews, who come after me.”

 Dr. Fogg emphasizes the importance of the time given to us that is spent in creative  pursuits; and what it may give back to us should we choose to listen to ourselves and our art.

“Art of any kind, like sports, requires time. This time that we spend in our art and in our athletics is some of the most precious,” Dr. Fogg says. “It allows us to be present to ourselves and to one another, because we cannot speed it up or take shortcuts. Watercolor, like weight lifting, reminds me to take my time and to slow down so I can see the world differently, so I can hear and feel where my body is, so I may discover what the painting and the unpredictable water will reveal.”