“My paintings begin with a rather preliminary sketch of an idea, taking into account basic composition, shapes and values. However, when painting with watercolor, I enjoy letting the watercolors lead the way. Because I usually mix most of my colors on the paper, I continually enjoy the unexpected. Painting for me is ‘experimental play’.”

“The six paintings […] I painted from sketches. Many of the sketches were completed on plein-air paint outs and at least one painting was painted plein-air. I try to capture my feelings about the subjects, the story, the light, and atmosphere of the day. I like the wet, transparent vibrant quality of watercolor and prefer to wet the paper before I start and hope to work with the spontaneous nature of watercolors to express my feelings about the scene and beauty around us. I sometimes use sticks, old credit cards or other implements when painting.”

“This exhibit represents three types of my explorations with watercolor. Each painting emphasizes my love of texture and color as well as pushing the boundaries with the addition of collage.”

“I do almost all of my watercolors on Yupo. Yupo is like ‘hot press’ paper, only more so. It’s extremely slick, and it’s not paper at all. It’s polypropylene plastic. When you paint on it, it has no ‘tooth’ so it doesn’t absorb the paint. The paint dries only by evaporation. Because of the way the paint flows on the surface, Yupo lends itself to subjects that are organic or have movement such as florals or trees or animals. It also works well for portraits, surprisingly!”

“I have worked in watercolors for over 35 years, and I am in my element painting outside near a rushing Colorado stream or sitting on a dock in a harbor. I’m mainly a landscape painter but have painted people, animals, and flowers. Watercolor has allowed me to have a loose realistic interpretation of a subject. I love the transparent and glowing colors one can create with watercolor when they are mixed on paper.”

“I have always equated painting in watercolor with creating and playing my own game. While building each image within the whole, I contemplate each move, each decision, carefully selecting each exact value, texture and color that will result in a successfully finished work. I began this series this summer while revisiting locations around San Luis Obispo where I had painted before, but in acrylic. This time, working in watercolor, I hoped to see the places again, but in a fresh new way, and I did.”