characters

I’ve ventured forth once more with a watercolor “character” painting. Humans are my most challenging subject, but I like to push myself, knowing that it helps me grow as an artist. I don’t consider myself a portrait artist, but I love to capture people involved in activity. Two years ago I took photos of an amazing fiddle player named Michael at our favorite pub in Knoxville, Boyd’s Jig and Reel. While looking for reference for a new watercolor on paper, … Read More

At the encouragement of fellow watercolor artists, I decided to broaden my horizons and entered my artwork into a national exhibition – and I got accepted! My watercolor “Sorghum Maker” has been selected by juror Linda Baker as one of 77 from among 302 entries for the 41st National Exhibition of the Georgia Watercolor Society (GWS). Entry was open to all watercolor artists across the United States using watermedia to create original artwork. The exhibition will take place in Atlanta, … Read More

One of my most popular paintings, “When She Was Three,” has been selected as one of 105 winners out of 900 entries to AcrylicWorks 7: Color and Light. This is my first entry into an acrylic fine art competition, so the recognition is a new milestone in my fine art pursuits. AcrylicWorks 7 will be printed as a 100+ page special publication by the editors of the Artists Magazine. Each selected painting, chosen for strongly capturing the theme of “color … Read More

The word “commission” has a few different meanings in regards to fine art*. A commissioned painting is one where an artist is hired by someone to paint a specific subject of that person’s choosing. I’ve done many commissions over the years, and they present some interesting twists, as opposed to creating a painting for myself, based on my own ideas and photos. As often happens with a commission, painting “Jordan Fishing with Grandpa Tim” has stretched me as an artist … Read More

I’ve wanted improve my skills with “character” paintings, since that’s a subject which challenges me greatly. I had signed up for a 3-day watercolor portrait workshop last year, taught by an artist whose work I love and admire. I bought the supplies and was all excited about the learning opportunity, but sadly the workshop was cancelled at the last minute. The artist had described her method of painting with a limited palette of the 3 primary colors, which I often … Read More

I greatly admire the work of portrait artists, since I know it takes a high level of skill to capture the human face. My ‘portraits’ are largely limited to dogs, cats, and wild animals. However, I occasionally include people as the focal point in my paintings – what I call ‘characters.’ Rather than depicting a face in a formal pose, I prefer to show people involved in some type of activity. Sometimes the character is anonymous, like the little girl … Read More