Some new ones

Morning Delivery 12" x 9"

Wow- well, I missed September completely. That is not to say I wasn't there, but true to form, I got busy and have only raised my head up to check, on occasion, that the house wasn't on fire. In my fleetingly scarce moments of down time I did manage to stay in the studio and do some painting for myself (or galleries) which ever way you look at it. I'm not complaining by any means. I'm extremely privileged that my day job involves watercolors, but it can get hard to stick at it after business hours if you've been working on architectural pieces all day. The trick, I think, is convincing yourself that the real freedom lies in the exploration you can do when working for yourself without a client in mind and that will refresh you. Sometimes it works. There has been lots of news lately and I'll spread that out over a few posts in the next couple of days to keep things interesting. Here are a couple of new ones to chew on in the meantime. I'm gearing up for some serious play in the next few weeks so the images should start to look a bit different for a while. That "play" is so important to me. If I don't push myself in new or uncomfortable ways then I find I start to feel stale and who wants that? 

The Brooklyn Bridge from under the FDR

18" x 10"

It keeps on chugging along

A sad morning here on Avenue D. I just waved goodbye to two of my favorite people as they headed off to Lubbock, Texas. Brett and Audra continue another leg of their journey in parts unknown. This street has seen its share of great folk, but in the stillness of this morning, I know it wont be the same without them. It's such a wonderfully strange thing how people come into your life and make it better. Neighbors are a mixed bag all in all, but for some reason, we've been extremely fortunate to have had neighbors who became close friends. My home is richer because of them.

Avenue D has lost two of the best and feels a little smaller today. Here's a painting I did of Audra last March in the snow. It is on its way to Texas with them.

Safe journey guys.....

BRUSH - PAPER - WATER

This week on Brush Paper Water

I am extremely pleased to announce that Chris Beck has done a piece on my work at her blog Brush Paper Water. It's a great source for seeing new work from many of the finest watercolorists working today. Thank you Chris! Take some time to look over some of the past artists and definitely check out Chris' work too.

Early Evening, Opelika, Alabama, 9" x 13"

"The act of painting, for me, is chicken soup on a cold day. It's my comfort food and my peace. When I am relaxed and the washes are flowing, ideas are clicking, I forget the clock and I am me." 

Growing up the son of a watercolorist formed the way Iain Stewart sees the world by breaking it down into washes, values, shapes, contrasts, lines and brushstrokes, and his father has had a great influence on his growth as an artist -- perhaps more by example than direct instruction. Iain's background in architecture added a love of built forms and his education at the Rural Studio under the late Samuel Mockbee helped him understand the simple beauty of the rural south. Living in Opelika, Alabama, a railroad town where the remnants of the past are easily visible, he seeks out the places in his daily life that have not completely lost their history, exploring the beauty in the mundane. He is intrigued by the play between rigid and loose and strives to find a balance between the two in his painting -- anchoring his landscapes with something solid or man-made, or varying his brushstrokes to break up the rigidity of architectural forms.

Coaling Tower, Opelika, Alabama, 13" x 9"

South Railroad Ave. in Snow, Opelika, Alabama
13" x 9"

Iain is a native of Scotland who received his degree in Architecture from Auburn University and did thesis work at the Rural Studio in Hale County, Alabama. He's been painting in watercolor for over 20 years and, after working as a residential architect, established his architectural illustration business in 1996 as a way to combine his love of watercolor and design. His architectural illustrations have been reproduced in many publications, including Better Homes and Gardens, The Robb Report, Coastal Living, Inspired House, and Southern Living.

Frustrated with the constraints of commercial work, Iain renewed his interest in fine art in recent years and has started showing his work in national shows. He won the the Southern Watercolor Society Award at the Watercolor Society of Alabama's 69th National Exhibition this year and was recently named one of Watercolor Artist magazine's "Ones to Watch" for 2010, to be published in the December issue of the magazine (available in October). 

Miss Voncille, Coden, Alabama, 13" x 9"

Heading Out, Resurrection Bay, Alaska, 13" x 9"

Please jump to Iain's blog for more news about his work and a link to his website.

Read more: http://brush-paper-water.blogspot.com/2010/07/iain-stewart.html#ixzz0vZiLJCIU

Art vs. Oil Spill

I've been meaning to post this for a while. My friend Paul Jackson has started a facebook page with the sole purpose of raising funds for the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Nature Preservation Society which is helping rescue animals endangered by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Please take a moment to look through the Zazzle website where many artists have donated pieces for this important cause. I recently finished an image which I will donate for an auction in Pensacola later in the year. I've included a link to the Zazzle store where you can purchase merchandise with my image on it. All proceeds go to a worthy cause and I will not take one penny in profit from this.

Here's the link:
Zazzle Store

Great Blue Heron- 14" x 15"

Utrecht Art's Featured Artist of the Month.

Very pleased to learn that I have been chosen as Utrecht Art's Featured Artist of the Month. A real treat! 

Here's the link

Utrect's Facebook Page

Watercolor Artist Magazine's 2010 One's to Watch Issue

Got a call from the editors of Watercolor Artist Magazine today. I've been selected for the 2010 "One's to Watch" issue. A great honor and I we'll be seeing some of my work in the Dec 2010 issue due out in October.

I've been painting a lot of small ones lately for an upcoming show. I'm looking for ways to make purchasing my work a little more affordable in these nasty economic times. Here are a few new ones. I've been concentrating on doing some images that reflect my love of the Gulf Coast. I'm so unbelievably angry at what's going on down there. More on that later though.

The Charlie Bychurch- Coden, Alabama

9" x 6"

Twilight- Coden, Alabama

9" x 6"

Teaching again

So- back to school for the summer. I guess I have that backwards, but for me summer means school this year. Two drawing courses and a watercolor  class all on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm pretty shot after talking for what amounts to 7 hours. It's a pretty big change from the life of the architectural illustrator, but extremely rewarding and a great challenge. The watercolor group looks to be a good one. Here's the first demo I did yesterday.  I'll post more of these as we do them.

In other news:
South Railroad Avenue in Snow received the Southern Watercolor Society Award at the WSA National Exhibit this month.














Union Square Park, NYC