Getting Real

The White Barn watercolor 7" X 11"

Working oudoors in Maine, sooner or later you will have to come to terms with the work of the Wyeths. This watercolor of a barn near Freeport is about as close as I got in trying to paint in the super realistic style, made popular by the Wyeths' and so prominent in New England. I have visited the Farnsworth Art Museum and greatly enjoyed viewing the many paintings displayed by W.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. The marvelous draftmanship of these artists are so well complemented by a dark and introspective underlying nature, that the viewer is often left spellbound.

The body of work that lead up to this painting and the actual watercolor itself is not meant as imitation, although there is some flattery going on here. Instead it was a process of discovery for me. By venturing down this road, I was not only able to improve my drafting and perception skills, but also incorporate realistic rendering into my work.