Over the weekend I visited the East Carolina University School of Art and Design to drop off the painting below. It will be part of the 2021 Alumni Exhibition from August 25 through September 25, 2021. It will hang in the Wellington B. Gray Gallery inside the SOAD building on campus. The entire show will be spread out among three locations – the Gray Gallery, Emerge Gallery, and the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery inside Joyner Library.
Below are a couple of plein Air watercolor studies painted in Butler, TN along Roan Creek. The first one is 7″x10″ on Arches 140 lp cold press paper. The other is ~6″x10″ on 140 lb Amatruda paper.
Here is a recent 12″x16″ watercolor landscape that I posted in the watercolor gallery. This one was painted on Arches 140 lb. rough paper.
12″ x 16″ Watercolor on Paper
For most of my paintings I begin with a small thumbnail sketch to work out the composition of the piece. Once I’m happy with that, I’ll draw it out loosely on the paper or canvas. In the process of painting I almost always stray a bit from my original drawing or the concept I originally picture in my mind, but I generally stick to the same basic composition.
This painting went a little differently. I originally intended for the barn in the distance to be the focal point. This was based on a photo reference with the barn in the middle ground. When I put the drawing on the watercolor paper it just didn’t feel right, so I ended up pushing the barn to the distance and inventing a new foreground with the tree on the right becoming more of a focal point. I think the end result is a more interesting image.
This is another quick little watercolor still life sketch. Two flowers in a Delft blue bowl. The size is approximately 4.75″ x 6.25″ on Amalfi Amatruda paper.
Here are a few quick watercolor sketches of some small Delft blue ceramic pieces – a pitcher, a bell, and a vase. All are 5″x7″ on Fabriano hot press paper.