How Daan Lemaire's Watercolor Art Relates to His Fused Glass Art

Updated

Daan Lemaire states on his website that there is "much connection" between his abstract watercolors on paper and his fused glass art, and he invites visitors to judge that connection by looking at the images themselves. The relationship is not described as a technical one — he does not explain shared materials or methods — but as a shared direction in abstract art that runs through both bodies of work. If you want to see the link, the site presents the two practices side by side as images rather than as a written argument.

What the artist says about the connection

The only direct statement on the site is brief: "There is much connection between these watercolors and my fused glass art, as you can see for yourself, I believe." Two things follow from that sentence:

  • The connection is presented as visual, not conceptual. Lemaire points to the pictures rather than to a theory.
  • The claim is offered as something to verify by looking, not as something to accept on his word.

Beyond that, the site does not break the relationship into categories such as color, composition, or process. Any comparison you make has to come from the images.

The shared thread: abstraction on paper and in glass

What the site does describe in more detail is the evolution of his painting on paper, and that evolution is the clearest context for understanding the glass work as well.

Lemaire writes that from 2000 he began making series of loose abstract watercolors on paper. For about ten years, "lyrical abstraction" was, in his words, a good expression for how he painted on paper and worked with glass fusing. After 2007 his art became more expressive and "basic," and the lyrical notion "disappeared more and more." He notes that he increasingly enjoys strong colours applied with a rough brush.

Read that timeline as the bridge between the two media:

Period His description of the work Relevance to both media
From 2000 Series of loose abstract watercolors on paper Establishes the serial, abstract approach
Roughly 2000–2007 "Lyrical abstraction" applied to painting on paper and to glass fusing The term is used for both media at once
After 2007 More expressive and "basic"; lyrical notion fades A shift he describes across his work, not just one medium

The key point is that Lemaire applies the same label — lyrical abstraction, then a more expressive and basic approach — to both his paper works and his fused glass. That is the substance behind the word "connection."

How to check it yourself

Because the site treats the relationship as something to see rather than something to read, the practical approach is comparative looking:

  1. Open the site and view the images of the recent gouaches on paper.
  2. Look at the fused glass pieces in the same visit.
  3. Compare them on the dimensions Lemaire actually names: looseness of composition, strength of colour, and roughness of mark or surface.

The site does not provide a catalogue, dates per image, or a side-by-side pairing of a specific watercolor with a specific glass piece. So the comparison stays at the level of overall character rather than one-to-one correspondence.

What the site does not tell you

A few limits are worth knowing before you draw conclusions:

  • No materials or firing techniques for the glass are described, so you cannot trace the connection through process.
  • No dimensions, prices, or availability are given in the text provided.
  • The connection is asserted by the artist and left for the viewer to confirm; there is no third-party or critical account on the page.

For an informational question like this, that is the honest answer: the link between Lemaire's watercolors and his fused glass is a shared abstract language — loose, increasingly expressive, colour-driven — that he says runs through both, and that he asks you to see in the images rather than take from his description.