I fell in love with the luminosity of watercolors about four years ago. I was teaching myself how to paint in this medium after more than a decade of working with oils and acrylics – and was adjusting to the fact that there is no white paint in watercolors. The white comes from the untouched paper; and the light appears to shine from within.

 

 

Since that day I’ve been obsessed with the transparent nature of watercolors. I’m drawn to the process of building a painting – layer by layer – using thin veils of low-valued glazes that take advantage of a watercolor’s incredible light. The time-consuming process is challenging, rewarding, and at times, magical.

The process of creating a watercolor painting demands tremendous patience and discipline, which has come to be meditational in the midst of my fast-paced, full life. You cannot rush a watercolor – because there’s nowhere to hide within this medium. Unlike oils and acrylics that allow you to cover up mistakes or turn them into something new, the transparency of watercolors reveals your every move to the viewer.

Oils and acrylics are more forgiving than watercolors – but they cannot match the intensity of the light – the sparkle – of a watercolor painting. They can’t achieve the same sense of an inner glow penetrating the curtains of color.

Watercolors ignite a spontaneity and flexibility that keep me engaged year after year. Each technique lends itself to surprise outcomes. Painting on Yupo, for example, creates color collisions that come from using the wet-into-wet technique on the synthetic paper. Many of these compositions changed overnight and surprised me with their colorful new arrangements the next morning. Gifts from the watercolor gods!
 

The medium has an ability to constantly surprise and engage me and therefore I continue to enjoy the creative process painting by painting. This collection of paintings includes some of my demos from my workshops, some plein-aire paintings and works that originate from my walks with my young twin boys.

 

I try to translate awe and wonder with my ability to see compositions around me- the things most people pass over as they make their way through the world, in search of something bigger and more important.

I try to remain open to the beauty that surrounds us in urban landscapes as well as the natural world. I hope you enjoy seeing the world through my eyes.
 

 

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