Galleries – Watercolors

I painted my first watercolors when I was about 15, after having worked in oils for several years in Tobey’s studio. It was on the encouragement of my high school art teacher to “branch out”. So I started to “play” with watercolor, exploring a sort of abstract expressionist, “Pollockian” like action oriented approach, (you can see a few of these under the Gallery menu: Abstract & Non-Objective), while still practicing and developing my work in oil with Tobey. These watercolors developed into a series, what I called “Prana Painting”. I was, among other things, practicing Yoga at the time, which included Pranayama – breathing exercises. Prana, in the Yoga teachings, is Universal energy that flows through everything and can be directed in the body through breath-work. It is very similar to the understanding of Chi in Taoist and Buddhist philosophy, and a variety of names under different cultures. These expanded into large acrylic and mixed media paintings. Not long after, when I was an undergraduate student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, I had the good fortune to formally study watercolor under the Japanese painter Kaji Aso, who required studying of calligraphy with him before watercolor. These led to the exploration of “oriental” style landscapes on rice paper and vegetable parchment using sumi ink and brush and then in 1976 I brought these materials into the field to apply them to plein air painting, (you can see a few examples of these at the end of this section).

On the Path, Like in a Dream 
Rembrandt watercolor on 1/4 sheet, (15″x 11″), Gemini cold press


Conversation in Sapa 
Rembrandt watercolor on 9″ x 12″ cold press


Hot Day on the Beach
Rembrandt watercolor on full sheet,
(22″x 30″), Gemini cold press

Plein Air From the Casa Patio 
Rembrandt watercolor on 1/4 sheet, (15″x 11″), Gemini cold press
Private Collection, Atlanta, Georgia
This painting was done in a couple of morning sessions on the patio outside my bedroom in Boca de Tomatlan, looking east into the jungle and mountains beyond

At the Staircase 
Rembrandt watercolor on 1/4 sheet, (15″x 11″), Gemini cold press
Private Collection, Alaska
This painting, done from photos, is a view of a location not far from the Casa in Boca de Tomatlan, MX. The dock and staircase leading to the home of my dear friends Douglas (Casa Architect) and his wife Esther as viewed from the water.


Tulip Fields Near Keukenhof Gardens
Watercolor on 1/4 sheet, (15″x 11″), Gemini cold press
This painting was done April 2022 as a demo for a group of artists I lead on a painting and museum tour of Holland organized by the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts

Nocturne at Saran Lake
plein air watercolor on 9″x12″ Fredrix w.c. canvas

 

Mist on the Farm
Rembrandt watercolor on 9″ x 12″ Rembrandt cold press paper

 

Rainy Morning, (Plein air at VIC, Adirondacks)
6″x8″ on Fabriano cold press

Morning at Buck Pond, (Plein air  Adirondacks)
6″x8″ on Fabriano cold press
(private collection, Saran Lake)

 

Shelter from the Storm
Rembrandt watercolor on 10.75″ x 11″ Fabriano cold press paper

 

April Snows in Apple Valley
– Rembrandt watercolor on 5″ x 7″ Fabriano cold press

If you would like to see more watercolor portraits go to Galleries in the Menu at top, go to Portraits in the Galleries and choose Traditional and scroll down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While studying calligraphy, Sumi-e brush, and watercolor painting with the Japanese painter Kaji Aso at the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts I thought it would be a cool and interesting challenge, (as well as a novel idea) to paint with sumi-e brush and ink on rice paper in plein air. This is such a painting done when visiting my folks that summer in 1976, visiting a place I used to hang out at often during high school.