Original Available/Reproductions Available

"The Fishing Hole!"

I like to vary my painting style somewhat from time to time.  A local artist commented about this painting,  that  “this is how a watercolor should look.”  I guess that meant that some of my other paintings weren’t the way a watercolor should look.  I ignore such talk, but perhaps I should just take it as a simple compliment. 

To me, each subject is new, even if I have painted it before.  When I am teaching my students I try to emphasize that idea.  The contemplation and planning that precedes actual painting is every bit as important as the brush strokes.  I like to approach each subject as though I had never painted a picture before and let my feelings for that subject in front of me dictate the mood and way in which it should be painted at that moment.  If I am looking at a burlap bag I think, “How would I go about trying to portray that?”  Sometimes a ”wishy-washy” watercolor is the result; sometimes a bold, even opaque painting seems to be right.  I would not do well trying to paint by some preconceived formula – besides, it wouldn’t be any fun and I do have fun with my painting.