This
is the first time in my life that I’ve had the opportunity to pursue creating
art on a full-time basis, and I’m so enjoying it. Working with watercolors continues
to be a learning experience – it forces me to just put the color on the paper
and not fuss with too many of the details. This is an effort for me as I’m typically
a detail-oriented person, and it’s been an ongoing lesson of being able to
recognize when, “it’s done.”
While
I’ve painted in oil and acrylic earlier in my life, about three years ago, I
took my first class in watercolor through the Art Colony in Grand Marais.
Spencer Meagher was the artist instructor, and I had such a wonderful time
learning to work in this medium. The theory is to load color on your brush and
get it quickly on the paper. The fusing of colors and the way the colors
interact is really exciting. I’m inspired by the landscapes around me – we live
in an area of lakes and woods, so I enjoy painting scenes from here and along
the shores of Lake Superior. Over the past few years, we’ve had opportunities
to travel to visit friends in Holland and Ireland several times. The incredible
scenery found in these regions continues to inspire my painting.
This painting, Birches in Snow, was painted in a wonderful workshop led by Paul Oman, watercolorist of Amery, WI.
