Happy New Year everybody. I have recently been revisiting painting with watercolor as I prepare for offering instruction at PatternArt Studio/Gallery in the Morgan Block Building in downtown Fairhaven. I’m planning on demonstrating painting techniques, such as the two attached images. Producing a watercolor painting requires more planning than other medias; watercolor on paper is known for its translucency and the absence or spare use of opaque pigments. Therefore, the artist has to plan around the highlights by preserving the white of the paper. With oil or acrylic painting, you paint the light as it falls over the landscape, watercolor painting requires the artist to paint around the light, two totally different concepts. Mistakes are harder to correct because you typically can’t just paint over top of the image without making it look muddy and overworked. A successful watercolor painting retains a freshness and clarity of pigment that is different from other mediums.

The above painting is a newly completed Commission piece. I have had five commissioned paintings in a row this past year, very fortunate for an artist paying studio rent. On the other hand, I found it difficult to begin a new painting that wasn’t directly stipulated by a client, I had a bit of a block, It can be difficult to figure what to paint next sometimes, the inspiration needs to be encouraged by just showing up and staring at a blank canvas.

I am currently working on new paintings for an upcoming show entitled “Luminous Nature” at The Inn at Lynden with my lovely talented wife Nancy Canyon.https://nancycanyon.com/ The show will be curated by Karen Bacon of Jansen Art Center and will be opening in May 2022.