Artist Uses Sink as a Canvas for Extraordinary Watercolor Paintings

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Creative director and artist Marta Grossi had just relocated to Milan when the coronavirus pandemic forced Italy to place the country on lockdown. Trapped indoors and unable to see her family, she began a new creative project to stay mentally and physically healthy. Each day, Grossi used her sink as a canvas for beautiful, yet ephemeral, watercolor paintings.

“Now more than ever we need to stay positive and to find beauty even in the unexpected places,” Grossi explains. COVID-19 and the scrupulous health reminders have impacted the way many people view sinks. The Italian artist refers to them as our “silent companions” during this unprecedented event. In fact, Grossi first began painting in her sink out of necessity, when she ran out of drawing papers and was unable to purchase new supplies at the store. So, thinking on her feet, she saw the stark white porcelain of her sink as an opportunity for a different type of art.

Grossi stretches her imagination to places beyond the confines of her apartment and uses her brush to fill the sink with colorful renderings of butterflies, flowers, leaves, and animals. “Every day I paint [a new subject] with watercolors and after 24 hours I let the water destroy the art piece,” she says. The short life of this artwork is part of the process. Once she completes the painting of the day, Grossi documents it with her phone. Then, when it is time to wipe the slate clean, the Italian artist records a video of how the water erases the delicate layers of paint—savoring the end of each fleeting illustration.

Scroll down to see more of Grossi's fantastical sink paintings, and follow the artist on Instagram to keep up to date with her latest creations.

Italian artist Marta Grossi uses her sink as a canvas for exquisite watercolor paintings.

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

She began working on the series when Italy was placed on lockdown and she could not leave her apartment…

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

When Grossi ran out of drawing paper, she decided to fill her sink with paintings.

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Although each piece only lives for a day, the artist says the ephemerality is part of the therapeutic process.

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watercolor Paintings in the Sink by Marta Grossi

Watch this cool reverse video to see how water washes the paint away…

 

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A post shared by Marta Grossi (@martabunny) on

Marta Grossi: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Marta Grossi.

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Margherita Cole

Margherita Cole is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and illustrator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Studio Art from Wofford College, and an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University in the UK. She wrote and illustrated an instructional art book about how to draw cartoons titled 'Cartooning Made Easy: Circle, Triangle, Square' that was published by Walter Foster in 2022.
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