Not Yet
Original Watercolour Painting
- Artist : Aliya Bodnar
- Series : Chapter I `Thresholds`
- Media : Watercolour on 100% cotton paper
- Size : 36cm x 51cm
01
Introduction
NOT YET
There are places where the way forward exists, but cannot yet be seen.
Not Yet began with a narrow space between two boats. Their dark hulls occupy almost the entire field of vision, leaving only a passage towards the light. I was interested in that moment when you are already inside a transition, but still cannot see what waits beyond it.
The painting is not about reaching the other side. It is about the state before that becomes possible. The point at which something familiar has already loosened its hold, while whatever comes next has not yet taken shape.
That uncertainty became more important to me than the boats themselves.
02
BETWEEN CERTAINTY AND POSSIBILITY
The composition is held between two large, dark forms. They almost close the space, yet a narrow opening remains at the centre. The viewer does not stand outside looking towards it. The perspective places us inside the passage itself.
Water makes that space less stable. Reflections continue the masts and hulls downwards until it becomes difficult to separate what is solid from what is reflected. Light appears ahead, but also beneath our feet. The physical structure of the harbour is still recognisable, while its certainty begins to dissolve.
I deliberately allowed some areas of the original watercolour painting to remain loose and unresolved. Wet passages, broken reflections and dissolving edges sit beside the much firmer lines of ropes, masts and boats. I wanted both states to exist at once.
The light at the centre matters because it offers no answer. There is no clear horizon and no promise of what lies beyond the boats. It is simply an opening.
Perhaps that is why, despite their scale, the boats are not really the subject of Not Yet.
The subject is the space between them.
03
ARTIST'S NOTE
The original watercolour "Not Yet" is available for £550.
If you feel this painting might belong with you, I’m always happy to talk about the work itself and the practical details of acquiring it.
You can reach me directly by email or WhatsApp.
“Not everything uncertain needs to be resolved... Sometimes the important thing is to remain there long enough to notice what begins to appear.”
